Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone is busy with her motherhood duties, taking utmost care of her daughter, Dua. Apart from juggling brand endorsements and work shoots, she also manages her beauty brand, 82°E. Lately, her brand 82°E has been facing major losses due to being overpriced. Amid pricing issues, social media users and customers have voiced their opinions online, and Deepika's brand has become embroiled in a new controversy.
According to an update from Bar and Bench, on Monday, the Delhi High Court issued an interim injunction against Deepika Padukone's company, DPKA Universal Consumer Ventures, restraining it from using the mark 'Lotus Splash' for its face cleanser product. The order comes in a trademark infringement dispute initiated by Lotus Herbals Private Limited.
For the unversed, Deepika's self-care brand, 82°E, sells a face cleanser named Lotus Splash.
A Division Bench of Justices V. Kameswar Rao and Vinod Kumar rendered a prima facie finding that the Lotus Splash mark was similar to the lotus mark of Lotus Herbals Private Limited. The bench overruled a single judge's order from January 25, 2024, which had refused an injunction against the actor.
In its statement, the Bench said, "We allow the application [for interim injunction]. We do not agree with the respondent's [DPKA] case falling under the exception as discussed by the single judge. We allow the application under Order 39, Rules 1 and 2. We have granted the interim injunction, we have held that there is a prima facie case."
It was held that the Lotus Splash mark is protected under Section 30(2)(a) of the Trade Marks Act, which states that using a trademark to indicate the kind, quality, quantity, intended purpose, value, geographical origin, time of production of goods, or other characteristics of the goods or services is not trademark infringement.
All you need to know about the brand
Deepika launched her self-care brand, 82°E, in 2022. Pronounced Eighty-Two East, the brand's name is inspired by the meridian that runs longitudinally through India and defines the standard time of the country.
The launch of 82°E also marked Deepika's foray into full-fledged entrepreneurship. The actor, producer, and mental health advocate, who founded her NGO, The Live Love Laugh Foundation, aims to support a holistic approach to self-care by using science to develop carefully crafted, clinically tested products for healthy, radiant skin.
