In a sharp crackdown on copycat commerce, the Delhi High Court has stepped in to protect Swedish auto giant Volvo from what it called a “deliberate and dishonest” invasion of its brand territory by Indian bus makers and transport operators. These companies allegedly crafted fake Volvo buses—down to the grille-slash insignia—in a bid to pass off their own creations as the real deal.
Justice Amit Bansal, presiding over the case, didn’t mince words. He declared that the defendants were engaging in blatant trademark infringement and passing off, all for the sake of riding on Volvo’s hard-earned global reputation. “This isn’t homage,” the court said in substance, “it’s highway robbery.”
Volvo, which has been using its trademark since 1915, argued that its globally recognized branding was being hijacked to deceive unsuspecting passengers into believing they were boarding a genuine Volvo vehicle. The Court agreed, noting that these rogue manufacturers had admitted to rolling out more than a hundred such faux-Volvos.
The order emphasized that if unchecked, this brand bootlegging could become the norm, eroding the exclusivity that Volvo’s name and design commands. The ruling warned of a future where the iconic grille-slash loses its power as a symbol of quality, reduced instead to a free-for-all label slapped onto any bus that wants a shortcut to credibility.
Finding a strong prima facie case in Volvo’s favor, the Court issued an interim injunction banning the defendants from using the Volvo name, its distinct design elements, or anything that even looks like it could have rolled out of Gothenburg.
The case is slated to return to court on October 9. Until then, the clones have been ordered off the road.
