Delhi HC halts release of Tamil movie 'Ajinomoto' over trademark

Dispute arose when Japanese company came across statements made by movie's director

The Delhi High Court has stopped the release of a Tamil movie called 'Ajinomoto' after a Japanese seasoning manufacturer moved court for infringement of its namesake trademark.

Ajinomoto is the trade name for Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), used as a taste enhancer in food. “Defendants shall not release the film under the title “AJINOMOTO” or any film bearing an identical or deceptively similar title/ name in any format i.e., cinema hall release, DVD/VCD release, release through OTT platforms, etc,” said Justice Sanjeev Narula.

The Japanese company said the name AJI-NOMOTO” is a combination of words meaning “Essence of Taste” in Japanese.

The trademark “AJI-NO-MOTO” in Japanese characters was first registered in Japan in the year 1909 and subsequently, in English characters in 1964. The makers first entered the Indian market in 1954 with its MSG product bearing Plaintiff’s trademark.

“Since then, it is a household name in the Indian market and the AJI-NO-MOTO trademark is directly associated with Plaintiff,” said the seasoning manufacturer.

The dispute arose when the Japanese company came across statements made by the movie’s director, Iyamperumal, in a magazine. "Ajinomoto is a flavour enhancer. But it is a kind of poison that kills humans slowly. The story of ‘Ajinomoto’ has been conceived and crafted based on this concept of the cooking ingredient,” said Iyamperumal.

 “Certain situations in this firm will make some of the characters appear in it look good at one point. But just like how the ingredient can cause great danger subsequently, these characters can indulge in actions that can cause difficult consequences,” he told the magazine.

The seasoning manufacturer’s lawyers submitted that though the film has not been released but is clear that the storyline, as per the above statement, is conceived and fashioned metaphorically around the cooking ingredient.

“Considering the wide outreach of films, and how the storyline is conceived, any negative portrayal is bound to severely prejudice Plaintiff’s reputation in the market in respect of its products,” lawyers Sudhir Chandra and Pravin Anand submitted.

On May 26 this year, the Delhi High Court restrained certain persons from using the title of the Hindi film ‘Sholay’ for a website.