The Delhi high court on Wednesday issued notice to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on a copyright infringement suit for naming the robotic dog introduced in the Indian Premier League 2025 ‘Champak’ but declined to grant any interim relief to the publishers of Champak magazine, who had red-flagged the BCCI’s choice of name.
Champak, the robotic dog with a mounted camera - it can walk, run, jump and also stand on its hind legs - was launched this IPL season as part of the league’s marketing and production push. The dog, first seen during a Mumbai Indians versus Delhi Capitals match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi earlier in April, was developed by global broadcast technology company wTVision and Omnicam. It is often the centre of attention this IPL season.
Delhi Press Patra Prakashan Pvt Ltd, which has been publishing Champak magazine since 1968, filed the suit, arguing that BCCI could not have used the name Champak, its registered trademark, for the robotic dog which was meant for commercial gain without its permission. The magazine reasoned that commercial use of the name amounted to dilution of its registered trademark, and tarnished its image and sought an interim direction to stop BCCI from calling the dog by this name.
{{/usCountry}}Delhi Press Patra Prakashan Pvt Ltd, which has been publishing Champak magazine since 1968, filed the suit, arguing that BCCI could not have used the name Champak, its registered trademark, for the robotic dog which was meant for commercial gain without its permission. The magazine reasoned that commercial use of the name amounted to dilution of its registered trademark, and tarnished its image and sought an interim direction to stop BCCI from calling the dog by this name.
{{/usCountry}}But justice Saurabh Banerjee was not inclined to issue an interim order, observing that the name was not adopted by the entity “per se” , but was the result of an online poll conducted by the cricket body.
Justice Banerjee said the magazine in its pleading had failed to prove the existence of a commercial element for using the name. BCCI’s decision, the judge remarked, was not its choice.
“Where is the commercial element? They are using it for whatever reason, it’s very early for me to decide…… please appreciate. They are using the AI-generated dog for whatever reason but the Instagram page emphatically shows that the name is not of their choice and is based on fan votes. It’s a majority win,” justice Banerjee observed.
The court noted that there was no element for an interim ex-parte injunction stay. “There is no adoption per se by the entity naming. Empathetically, without hearing them, I am not intending to grant ad- interim ex-parte injunction. I’m not convinced. There are no pleadings, no supporting documents (on proving commercial usage),” the judge said.
Senior advocate J Sai Deepak, who appeared for BCCI, said it hadn’t come up with the name “champak” but was selected by fans on the basis of a poll. The senior counsel also underlined that the fans did not associate the name with the children’s magazine but with a character from popular sitcom Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah.
“Champak magazine is not the only entity using ‘Champak’. In the public domain, the name Champak is used for different characters – in series – Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah. None has associated the name with the magazine but a character,” BCCI submitted.
The high court will take up the case again on July 9.