Delhi High Court Temporarily Bars Dr Reddy's From Manufacturing Sunscreen Product With “SUN” Mark On Sun Pharma Plea
Ayushi Shukla
29 Dec 2025 4:31 PM IST
The Delhi High Court has recently, temeperorily restrained Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd. from further manufacturing sunscreen products bearing labels with the word “SUN”, holding that the usage appears to function as a trademark and not as a mere description. The court directed the company to maintain status quo until the next hearing.
A single bench of Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora passed the interim order on December 24, 2025, while hearing a trademark infringement and passing off suit filed by Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. over the use of the word “SUN” on sunscreen products sold by Dr Reddy's under the “VENUSIA” brand.
The court observed, “Prima facie, this Court does not find that the use of the mark 'SUN' on the impugned labels is descriptive in nature. The placement of the said marks in the impugned labels gives significant prominence to the mark 'SUN'. The said mark is clearly being used in a manner suggestive of a trademark, particularly since the word “sunscreen” “sunscreen gel” otherwise appears separately and specifically on the product.”
Sun Pharma told the court that it is the registered proprietor of the trademarks “SUN”, “SUN PHARMA” and related marks, which it has used continuously since 1978. It pointed out that the “SUN” mark has earlier been declared a well-known trademark by the Delhi High Court and is included in the Trade Marks Registry's list of well-known marks. It also sells sunscreen products under the brand “SUNCROS”, derived from its “SUN” mark.
According to Sun Pharma, it discovered in June 2025 that Dr Reddy's had launched sunscreen products under the “VENUSIA” brand with labels prominently displaying the word “SUN”. It said that despite legal notices and further communications, the proposed label changes continued to depict “SUN” in a visually dominant manner.
Dr Reddy's, on the other hand, argued that the word “SUN” was used only descriptively in relation to sunscreen products. It also submitted that it was willing to modify the labels to address Sun Pharma's concerns.
After examining the labels, the court found prima facie merit in Sun Pharma's case. It noted that the word “SUN” appeared in the largest font, boldest print and a contrasting colour, making it the most striking feature of the label and overshadowing the “VENUSIA” brand name.
The court held that such depiction was likely to create an initial impression of an association with Sun Pharma. “It is a matter of record that the Plaintiff also sells sunscreens under its mark 'SUN' and therefore, there is likelihood of creating confusion in the minds of the consumer given the identical goods and the identical trade channels,” the court said.
In view of these findings, the court directed Dr Reddy's to maintain status quo and refrain from any further manufacturing under the disputed labels until further orders. The matter will be taken up next on January 23, 2026.
Case Title: Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. v. Dr. Reddys Laboratories Ltd. & Anr.
Case No.: CS(COMM) 1414/2025
For Plaintiff: Advocates Sachin Gupta, Prashansa Singh, Diksha Tekriwal and Mahima Chanchalani
For Defendants: Senior Advocate J. Sai Deepak with Advocates Ranjan Narula, Shakti Priyan Nair, Parth Bajaj, Purnima Vashishtha and Dr. Reddy's Authorised Representative Payal Kalhan