Delhi High Court Temporarily Bars Bhiwadi School From Infringing Delhi Public School's Well-Known Trademark

The Delhi High Court has temporarily restrained a Bhiwadi, Rajasthan-based school from using the name “Delhi Public School International,” the acronym “DPS,” or a torch-and-shield logo after finding them deceptively identical to the well-known marks of the Delhi Public School Society (DPS Society). The court also ordered that the school's domain name be suspended. Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora passed the ex parte ad-interim injunction on December 8, 2025, in a trademark suit filed by the DPS Society. The order will remain in force until May 18, 2026.The DPS Society told the Court it runs more than 200 schools worldwide under the 'Delhi Public School' name. It adopted its torch and shield logo in 1948 and its leaf logo in 1996–97, and holds multiple trademark registrations for “Delhi Public School,” “DPS,” and these logos, with user claims dating back decades. In 2020, the Trademark Registry declared “Delhi Public School,” “DPS,” and the shield logo as well-known marks. The Society also holds copyright registrations for the shield logo. According to the Society, it discovered on October 24, 2025, that a school in Bhiwadi was operating as “Delhi Public School International,” using the disputed logo and the acronym DPS, and running the website 'dpsibhiwadi.in' along with an email ID reproducing its marks. It added that applications filed earlier by the Bhiwadi school's director to register its logo had been refused by the Trademark Registry due to conflicts with DPS's existing marks. After comparing the marks, the court held that “Delhi Public School International,” “DPS,” and the disputed logo were deceptively identical to the DPS Society's well-known marks. Given the reputation of DPS schools, the court observed that the Bhiwadi school's director was “bound to have been aware” of the goodwill attached to the DPS identity. The earlier refusals by the Trademark Registry reinforced the finding of dishonest adoption. The court held that this was a case of “triple identity” that is identical marks, identical services (school education), and an identical consumer base. An average consumer with imperfect recollection, it found, would likely associate the Bhiwadi school with the DPS Society.Finding a strong prima facie case, the court said irreparable harm would follow if the injunction were not granted and that the balance of convenience lay in favour of the DPS SocietyThe order restrains the Bhiwadi school and all associated persons from using the name “Delhi Public School International,” the acronym “DPS,” the disputed logo, or any identical or similar mark in any manner, including as a trademark, trade name, corporate name, domain name or email ID. The Court also directed the domain registrar to lock and suspend the domain 'dpsibhiwadi.in.'The matter will be heard next on May 18, 2026.Case Title: Delhi Public School Society v. Delhi Public School International Bhiwadi And Ors.Citation: 2025 LiveLaw (Del) 1695Case Number: CS(COMM) 1247/2025For Plaintiff: Senior Advocate Puneet Mittal with Advocates Sakshi Mendiratta, R P Singh and Kashish Jain.Click Here To Read/Download Order

Delhi High Court Temporarily Bars Bhiwadi School From Infringing Delhi Public School's Well-Known Trademark

Ayushi Shukla

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