In a major legal win for FMCG major Britannia Industries (BIL), the Madras High Court on Friday restrained GlaxoSmithkline Consumer Healthcare (GSK), the maker of the Horlicks brand, from manufacturing, selling and advertising the Nutribic brand of biscuits for trademark and copyright violations.
In a suit filed in the Madras HC, Britannia said GSK?s recently launched Horlicks Nutribic biscuit is a copy of its NutriChoice Oats biscuit. GSK launched Nutribic in Chennai on August 20, which according to Britannia, is a ?slavish? copy of its NutriChoice brand.
On noticing GSK products at shops in Chennai, Britannia immediately approached the court with a stay application, restraining GSK from passing off its Horlicks Nutribic biscuits using the trade dress of NutriChoice Oats biscuits and also infringing its registered trademark Nurtibix.
?Many biscuit majors are now looking beyond glucose biscuits to improve their margins. As a result, competition is hotting up in the premium biscuits sector with new launches,?said an industry analyst from a domestic brokerage firm.
