Amazon, Flipkart Told to Delist ‘Jio’ Knockoffs
• Delhi HC Cracks Down on Jio Trademark Abuse
• Reliance Wins Court Relief Against Fake Listings
• Sprouts SIT Flags Growing Online Trademark Scams
Unmesh Gujarathi
Sprouts News Exclusive
Contact: +91 9322755098
The Delhi High Court has directed Amazon, Flipkart, and other e-commerce platforms to remove listings violating Reliance and Jio trademarks. The court noted consumer confusion and brand misuse, granting interim relief. Sprouts SIT highlights repeated frauds, urging stronger platform accountability and regulatory action in India’s growing e-commerce trademark infringement landscape.
E-commerce Platforms Amazon, Flipkart Face Delhi High Court Action Over Trademark Infringement
In a landmark ruling, the Delhi High Court has directed major e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, and others to immediately remove product listings that infringe upon the “Reliance” and “Jio” trademarks. The court noted that such listings mislead consumers into believing the products are sold by Reliance itself, creating brand dilution and potential consumer risk.
Justice Saurabh Banerjee, in a dynamic injunction order, emphasized that the use of Reliance and Jio’s brand names for unrelated or counterfeit FMCG products is not only misleading but can also jeopardize public safety, especially among semi-literate and rural consumers. The Court noted that brand names carry trust, and consumers on digital platforms heavily rely on logos and trademarks while making purchases.
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The Sprouts News Investigation Team (SIT) has confirmed that several listings using “Jio” and “Reliance” branding are operated under fake seller identities, making enforcement and litigation difficult. Reliance stated in its petition that the use of its trademarks was unauthorized and widespread, leading to both brand erosion and loss of consumer trust.
Reliance’s Long Battle Against Trademark Misuse Continues
This case is not an isolated incident. Reliance has been repeatedly targeted by counterfeiters and impersonators, prompting legal action in several cases over the years.
In July 2025, the Delhi High Court had issued an interim injunction in another case involving Reliance’s beauty vertical, Tira, after a ₹41 lakh fraud was exposed. Fraudsters posed as Tira agents and duped over 8,900 customers in metro cities. As part of the relief, the court had directed telecom operators to block mobile numbers, WhatsApp to suspend fake accounts, and NPCI to deactivate UPI IDs linked to the scam.
Earlier, in June 2025, a fake food delivery website impersonating the Reliance Jio brand surfaced, again sparking concerns about digital impersonation and e-commerce fraud. In another instance in 2023, the Court directed the Cyber Cell to probe a scratch card scam that misused the AJIO brand.
Going back to 2019, Reliance had successfully sued True Care Life Sciences, a nutraceutical company, for using the Jio trademark in its branding. These repeated litigations reflect the intensity of brand misuse in India’s online economy, a problem now being investigated by Sprouts SIT through multiple domain and trademark monitoring tools.
Delhi HC: Greater Judicial Oversight Needed in Trademark Enforcement
In the present ruling, Justice Banerjee noted that e-commerce platforms cannot be passive intermediaries when their marketplace is used for illegal gains through trademark violations. The Court observed that the sellers were riding on the goodwill of Reliance, misleading consumers into associating counterfeit or third-party products with a trusted national brand.
The Delhi High Court judgment called for a “more cautious and stringent approach” while assessing such trademark violations on digital marketplaces. The order sets a precedent for courts to grant dynamic injunctions—flexible legal tools allowing rights holders like Reliance to continuously seek removal of new infringing content without filing fresh suits every time.
Government’s E-commerce Guidelines Raise New Questions
This ruling comes at a time when the Government of India is attempting to strengthen e-commerce regulation. In January 2025, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) issued “E-commerce Principles and Guidelines for Self-Governance”, encouraging platforms to verify seller identities using Know Your Customer (KYC) processes and review product listings prior to publishing.
However, as highlighted by MediaNama and echoed in Sprouts SIT’s regulatory brief, these guidelines appear to dilute platform accountability. Unlike the 2019 draft guidelines, which proposed secondary liability for marketplaces, the current framework lacks teeth, particularly in consumer-to-consumer (C2C) transactions and platform-led product promotions.
Nikhil Pahwa, founder of MediaNama, pointed out the exclusion of implicit vouching scenarios, where platforms indirectly validate or highlight listings using filters, rankings, or search optimizations—something especially relevant in cases like Jio and Reliance branding misuse.
The Bigger Picture: Growing Trend of E-commerce Trademark Infringement
This case underscores a broader trend of intellectual property violations on online platforms. In February 2025, the Delhi High Court fined Amazon $39 million for infringing the ‘Beverly Hills Polo Club’ trademark. Although temporary relief was granted on appeal, the case reaffirmed the need for active IP protection.
In 2018, footwear brand Metro Shoes had sued Flipkart for using the private label “Metronaut”, claiming it was deceptively similar. More recently, in June 2025, the Delhi HC allowed IndiaMART to retain “PUMA” in dropdown menus, while ordering it to delete infringing listings.
The Sprouts News Investigation Team (SIT) has found a rising number of cases involving falsely advertised branded goods, with digital sellers leveraging loopholes in platform policies to gain visibility. Experts warn that unless platforms are held liable, such practices will continue to erode brand integrity and mislead consumers.
Also Read: MLA Suhas Kande Accused of ₹72 Lakh Family Fraud Scandal.
A Wake-up Call for E-commerce Governance
The Delhi High Court’s ruling in favour of Reliance sets a powerful legal precedent in India’s ongoing battle against e-commerce-based trademark violations. It also brings to light the need for stronger regulatory enforcement, dynamic IP protection mechanisms, and tech-driven monitoring by platforms.
For Reliance, this marks yet another milestone in its aggressive IP protection strategy, aided by a judiciary that appears increasingly willing to hold platforms accountable.
As investigations continue, the Sprouts SIT will monitor how this judgment influences future litigation, platform compliance policies, and government-led reforms in the e-commerce ecosystem.
