RIL withdraws ‘Operation Sindoor’ trademark plea, cites inadvertent filing

One day after approaching the trademark registry to register ‘Operation Sindoor’, Reliance Industries (RIL) has decided to withdraw its application for the phrase.

On Wednesday, the day of the announcement by the government about hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, four applicants including RIL, had approached the trademark registry to register ' Operation Sindoor’.

All four applicants, including RIL and three individuals, Mukesh Chetram Agrawal, Retired Group Captain Kamal Singh Oberh, and Alok Kothari, had filed separate applications to own the trademark rights over the trademark ‘Operation Sindoor’ under Class 41, which covers education and entertainment services.


Ashish Pyasi, partner at law firm Aendri Legal said the Class 41 covers services related to education, entertainment, sports and cultural activities. Registration under this class helps the organisations working in these areas to protect their brand and sometimes their work (services) in these categories.

“Reliance Industries has no intention of trademarking Operation Sindoor, a phrase which is now a part of the national consciousness as an evocative symbol of Indian bravery,” said the company in its statement. “Jio Studios, a unit of Reliance Industries, has withdrawn its trademark application, which was filed inadvertently by a junior person without authorisation,” added the statement.

The company also added that Reliance Industries and all its stakeholders are incredibly proud of Operation Sindoor, which came about in response to a Pakistan-sponsored terrorist attack in Pahalgam. “Operation Sindoor is the proud achievement of our brave Armed Forces in India's uncompromising fight against the evil of terrorism,” said the company.

Rahul Dhote, partner at law firm ANM Global said as can be seen in the past, such events have always inspired production of films, web-series and/or any audio-visual work.

“As movie title acts as an identifier of the work that is created or proposed to be created, Media houses, as a practice, register such titles for claiming statutory rights as a ‘trade mark’ to restrain others from making movies with an identical/similar title,” said Dhote. “Titles based on similar events like ‘Balakot: Surgical Strikes 2’, ‘Pulwama: Surgical Strikes 2’, Pahalgam Files’, ‘Operation Safed Sagar’, ‘Operation Khukri’, have been either applied or registered,” he added.

On Wednesday, the government said in its official statement that the Indian Armed Forces launched ‘Operation Sindoor’, hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed.

“Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in the selection of targets and the method of execution,” said the government’s official statement. “These steps come in the wake of the barbaric Pahalgam terrorist attack in which 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen were murdered. We are living up to the commitment that those responsible for this attack will be held accountable,” it added.