After the Birlas, KVIC targets 3 more cos for using Khadi TM

After serving notices to Aditya Birla Group's Madura Fashion & Lifestyle asking it to stop using trade name 'Khadi' without its permission, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is planning to serve similar notices to two-three more such companies.
The KVIC, which had served a legal notice to Madura Fashion earlier this week to stop the use of trade mark 'Khadi', has also sought its response within 15 days of receipt of the notice.
The Birla Group company has already registered Khadi as trade mark under the Intellectual Property Act.
The notice was triggered by an advertisement by the company in a national daily last month to promote its apparel under the brand name 'Peter England'.

"We have already sent the notice to Madura Fashion & Lifestyle asking it to stop using trade name 'Khadi' without its (KVIC) permission and stop the unauthorised use and we are also working on serving notices to two-three more companies for using the trade name 'Khadi' without our permission," KVIC chairman VK Saxena said here today.
He, however, refused to name the companies as work is still in progress.

He was speaking to reporters after inaugurating a sales outlet and an exclusive exhibition of KVIC products in the consumer stores of the income tax headquarters here.
Speaking about the revenue of KVIC, Saxena who assumed the charge nearly three months ago, said "the current annual turnover of KVIC is around Rs 37,000 crore and we have plans to take it to Rs 40,000 crore in next year."

There are currently 12.5 lakh Khadi workers in the country, but we are planning to increase it to 1 crore in next two years, he added.
He said 'make-in-India' is possible only through making in villages.
With zero carbon foot print, Khadi is the most eco-friendly cloth, he added.
Saxena also emphasised that KVIC is the only hand holding organisation which provides support right from beginning to the end in the form of from training, loan facility.