Delhi High Court Cancels Trademark Similar To Punjab Football Club Held By Apparel Company

The Delhi High Court has ordered the removal of the “PFC” trademark registered in favor of Posshusa Apparels India Private Limited, holding that the mark was deceptively similar to the trademarks of Punjab Football Club and had remained unused since its registration.

By an order dated December 11, 2025, Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora allowed a plea filed by Punjab FC, a Mohali-based professional football club competing in Indian football leagues seeking rectification of the trademark register. 

She directed that the similar “PFC” mark be removed from the Register of Trademarks.

Punjab FC told the court that it has been operating since 2017 and has built substantial goodwill and reputation in the marks “PUNJAB FC,” “PUNJAB FOOTBALL CLUB,” and “PFC.”

The club stated that it holds trademark registrations for “PUNJAB FC” and its device mark in Class 41, which covers training and sporting services. It also pointed out that it runs an official website and has made significant investments in promoting and strengthening its brand identity.

According to the club, it discovered in March 2025 that Posshusa Apparels had secured registration of the mark “PFC” in Class 25 for clothing and apparel on a proposed-to-be-used basis.

Punjab FC claimed that the apparel company was not using the mark in the market and that its registration was likely to mislead consumers into believing there was a connection with the football club.

The court noted that Posshusa Apparels was duly served with notice but chose not to appear in the proceedings. As a result, the matter proceeded without hearing them (ex parte).

On the merits, the court took note of the fact that the same apparel company had earlier obtained registration of an identical “PFC” mark in another class, which had already been cancelled by a coordinate bench of the High Court.

In that earlier decision, the court had found the marks to be phonetically and visually similar and had observed that the company's conduct appeared to be an attempt to ride on the goodwill associated with the football club's marks.

In the present case, the court held that the “PFC” mark registered in favor of Posshusa Apparels was deceptively similar to Punjab FC's trademarks.

It found that the adoption of the mark appeared dishonest and was likely intended to create an association with the football club and benefit from its established reputation.

It also relied on the fact that the registration was obtained on a proposed-to-be-used basis. Since no material was placed on record to show actual use of the mark after registration, the allegation of non-use remained unchallenged. The court held that this provided an independent and additional ground for cancellation under the Trade Marks Act.

In light of these findings, the High Court directed that the “PFC” trademark registered in the name of Posshusa Apparels be removed from the Register of Trade Marks.