Madras HC issues notice to TVK over its flag infringing copyright

The Madras high court on Thursday issued a notice to actor-politician Vijay’s fledgling party Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) on a suit alleging copyright infringement of the party’s flag design

Published on: Jul 18, 2025, 07:36:07 IST

By Divya Chandrababu, Chennai

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The Madras high court on Thursday issued a notice to actor-politician Vijay’s fledgling party Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) on a suit alleging copyright infringement of the party’s flag design.

The case has been posted to July 29. Vijay launched TVK in 2024 and on July 4 announced that he will be the chief ministerial candidate for the 2026 assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. (File photo)

Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy issued the notice on a civil suit filed by GB Pachaiyappan, a member of the trust, Thondai Mandala Saandror Dharma Paribalana Sabai (meaning Thondai Zone Witnesses Virtue Upkeep Council).

Pointing out to the red and yellow colours used and the logo, the plea alleges that TVK’s flag infringes the trademark and copyright since the resemblance may cause confusion among the public. The petitioner has sought several directions including a permanent injunction against TVK and Vijay from using the flag, Damages of ₹5 lakh for infringement.

The case has been posted to July 29. Vijay launched TVK in 2024 and on July 4 announced that he will be the chief ministerial candidate for the 2026 assembly elections in Tamil Nadu.

Vijay is untested in politics and has declared that the ruling DMK was his political enemy while the BJP was his ideological enemy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Divya Chandrababu
Divya Chandrababu is an award-winning political and human rights journalist based in Chennai, India. Divya is presently Assistant Editor of the Hindustan Times where she covers Tamil Nadu & Puducherry. She started her career as a broadcast journalist at NDTV-Hindu where she anchored and wrote prime time news bulletins. Later, she covered politics, development, mental health, child and disability rights for The Times of India. Divya has been a journalism fellow for several programs including the Asia Journalism Fellowship at Singapore and the KAS Media Asia- The Caravan for narrative journalism. Divya has a master's in politics and international studies from the University of Warwick, UK. As an independent journalist Divya has written for Indian and foreign publications on domestic and international affairs.Read More

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