The simmering battle between FMCG heavyweights Dabur India and Patanjali Ayurved took a decisive turn after court-directed mediation efforts collapsed in their ongoing trademark and packaging dispute. On August 1, the Delhi High Court was informed that no settlement could be reached between the two companies over the design of Patanjali’s “Dant Kanti Red (pan flavour)” toothpaste.
Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, who is overseeing the case, has now slated the matter for further hearing in December, after noting the failure of negotiations.
At the heart of the conflict lies Dabur’s contention that Patanjali’s packaging is a near carbon copy of its own “Dabur Red” toothpaste, down to its visual identity — potentially deceiving consumers into mistaking one product for the other. Dabur has made it clear it doesn’t object to Patanjali using the term “Red,” incorporating the “pan leaf” symbol, or reverting to its previous packaging — just not the allegedly lookalike design introduced in December 2024.
The two companies were steered toward mediation in January this year, following a court session where Patanjali was urged to rethink its product’s trade dress. However, with no agreement in sight, both parties returned to court, confirming the stalemate.
The judge acknowledged that the requirement for pre-institution mediation under Section 12A of the Commercial Courts Act, 2015 had been fulfilled and granted Dabur’s request to bypass any further mediation steps, citing the urgency of the interim reliefs sought.
This isn’t the only legal wrangle between the two companies. Dabur had earlier filed a disparagement suit against Patanjali after a controversial commercial aired in December 2024, featuring the company’s founder Swami Ramdev casting aspersions on the authenticity of other Chyawanprash products in the market. Dabur argued the ad undermined consumer trust in products governed by Ayurvedic regulations.
In a significant development in that matter, the Court issued an interim order in July 2025, instructing Patanjali to pull the contentious advertisements targeting Dabur’s Chyawanprash.
Legal teams on both sides are heavyweight in their own right — Dabur is being represented by a team of IP specialists from Inttl Advocare, while Patanjali’s corner includes Senior Advocate Rajiv Nayyar.
With both mediation and diplomacy now off the table, the next chapter in this high-stakes brand battle will unfold in court later this year.
