‘Lodha vs Lodha’: Macrotech moves court to restrain HoABL from using trademark

Real estate major Lodha, listed as Macrotech Developers, and helmed by Abhishek Lodha, has approached the Bombay High Court seeking to restrain the House of Abhinandan Lodha, a company established by his younger brother, from using the word ‘Lodha’ in any form, claiming trademark rights.

Interestingly, Macrotech Developers has also made its own MD & CEO Abhishek Lodha one of the respondents in the matter. The petition is scheduled to be heard on Tuesday.

In 2015, Abhinandan Lodha separated from the Lodha Group and started his own business. This was formalised through a family settlement agreement in 2017.


Also Read: Macrotech claims Rs 1,000 cr paid to Abhinandan Lodha, HoABL disputes

According to the petition, due to non-compliance, a new agreement was signed in December 2023, which prohibited the younger brother from using names similar to ‘Lodha.’ However, the pact stated if Abhinandan complies, Abhishek would allow the use of ‘House of Abhinandan Lodha’.

By 2023, Lodha Group had turned into a publicly-listed entity and was not a party to the agreement. The listed company as the owner of the trademark had never permitted the use of the name. The 2023 agreement was terminated due to non-compliance, nullifying any prior consent for ‘House of Abhinandan Lodha’, Macrotech’s petition said.

According to Abhinandan Lodha, as part of a settlement, he was given ‘Lodha Ventures’ and ‘Lodha Finserve’, with the understanding that the ‘Lodha’ name would not be used on a standalone basis in real estate. Between 2017 and 2020, Macrotech borrowed over Rs 900 crore from his companies, with the peak loan at Rs 175 crore.

In 2019, he helped refinance the company and also provided corporate guarantees of Rs 250 crore and personal guarantees exceeding Rs 2,000 crore.

“I further even mortgaged my own flat and raised funds to support Macrotech Developers. This is all a matter of record. All of this was done as a responsible member of the family and in the interest of the family,” Abhinandan Lodha said in response to ET’s query.

According to him, the genesis of the dispute is the success of his plotted land business under The House of Abhinandan Lodha. Over the last four years, the company has started projects in 16 locations, sold 12 million sq ft and has additional 38 million sq ft under development, with customers from both domestic and international markets.

“Lodha's brand has been built with lots of investment and effort over 40 years. It is critical for the company to protect its IPR and ensure that no other developer creates confusion of being similar to our brand. Our shareholders include the world's most renowned investors and one of India's largest charitable entities—we are duty bound to protect our company's valuable rights,” said a Lodha spokesperson.

The Lodha Group is currently developing over 40 projects across Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Pune and Bengaluru, and is likely to expand into other cities in India in the future. The listed company has the largest land reserve in MMR and, as of March 2024, had developed over 100 million sq ft of prime real estate.

Macrotech Developers has sought to prevent usage of the name Lodha or any similar trademark by the respondent, stating that it could potentially confuse or mislead the public into thinking their services are affiliated with the company.

It has also demanded the removal of any references to the trademark Lodha from websites, domain names and other promotional materials used by HoABL. It has sought interim relief to prevent further usage of the trademark until the final resolution of the case.