Delhi High Court Orders Bombay Shaving Company to Pull Disputed Razor Ad
Bombay Shaving Company has been asked by the Delhi High Court to delete a contentious razor commercial that had shown a courtroom and a judge. The ruling came in the backdrop of a suit filed by Gillette India against Visage Lines Personal Care for trademark infringement and disparagement.
On September 16th, the Delhi High Court strongly objected to an ad depicting a courthouse and a judge in a razor commercial and ordered the Bombay Shaving Company (BSC) to remove the ad. The company's rationale for the sequence was called into question by Justice Jyoti Singh, who noted that the advertising was basically making fun of the court. According to Justice Singh, the company's lawyer should not have even dared to defend their client.
This disagreement started when Gillette India sued Visage Lines Personal Care, the parent business of the Bombay Shaving business. The issue was related to trademark infringement and disparagement over a commercial that, according to Gillette, mentions their razors.
Ad Alterations Done by BSC
Following the prior hearing, during which the court had granted the defendant permission to revise the advertisement, the subject was resumed. On behalf of the Bombay Shaving Company, Advocate Prithvi Singh briefed the court on multiple changes. For example, the commercial's razor had its shape and appearance changed, and a frame mentioning a legal warning was removed. The business also suggested including caution, saying that the advertised blade may be used with razor handles from many other brands.
Unfortunately, the court did not find the proposed disclaimer to be enough. Singh's explanation of the purpose was met with a dismissive response from Justice Singh, who stated, "I doubt it." There was a lot of focus on the courtroom scene. On behalf of Gillette, senior attorney C. M. Lall walked the court through the storyboard of the advertisement. In addition, he said that the advertisement seemed to reference the parties' prior lawsuit against the backdrop of judicial proceedings. The idea of selling razors in a courtroom environment was questioned by Justice Singh.
He claimed that Singh's intention was only to inject humour and not to imply anything about the lawsuit in the moment. In its ruling, the court deemed the company's suggested changes insufficient, calling them "little cosmetic dressing" that failed to resolve the court's concerns.
Delhi HC’s Strong Warning to BSC
Gillette alerted the court to a social media post that was relevant to the case. The company's lawyer claimed that defendant promoter Shantanu Deshpande had applauded a Best Media Info post announcing the company's legal troubles. The court then ordered the defendant to clarify whether or not the ad will be removed.
"Either you remove everything, or I will step in," Justice Singh said. Bombay Shaving Company agreed to delete the advertisement from its official platforms and other channels under its control when Singh, acting on orders, received fresh comments. Additionally, the attorney promised to submit an updated ad concept to Gillette. The judge warned the business not to run the ad again with the same wording. The subject will be revisited on the morning of September 17th.
