Delhi HC Awards ₹8 Lakh To Puma In Trademark Infringement Suit Against Counterfeit Products [Read Order]

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has awarded ₹8 lakhs in favor of sportswear giant PUMA SE in a trademark infringement suit against an individual found manufacturing and selling counterfeit products bearing its registered trademark.

Justice Saurabh Banerjee passed the summary judgment on July 9, 2025, in a case that highlights the ongoing battle against counterfeiting in the sports goods industry.

The court addressed PUMA SE’s suit against defendant Himanshu Sharma, who was operating the website “www.theshoeskart.com” to sell counterfeit shoes bearing PUMA’s registered trademarks and logo.

The court noted, “The defendant herein is engaged in the business of stocking, selling, and supplying counterfeit shoes bearing the plaintiff’s trademarks, i.e., ‘PUMA’ and logo, and is also engaged in selling the counterfeiting products.”

Addressing specific concerns regarding the counterfeiting activities, the court observed, “In or around the second week of July 2021, the plaintiff received a customer complaint about the substandard quality of its shoes purchased from the defendant’s website. Subsequent investigation revealed that the products in question were counterfeit.”

The court highlighted the blatant nature of the infringement, stating, “The impugned mark of the defendant has been adopted in toto, as all essential elements of the plaintiff’s trademarks, including its logo and the formstrip device, have been replicated without any variation.”

Emphasizing the severity of counterfeiting, the court stated, “No rank counterfeiter like the defendant, who maintains a stoic silence, can be allowed to go scot-free. The plaintiff, being the registered proprietor of the trademarks, must be granted due protection and relief against such a defendant.”

The court acknowledged PUMA’s well-established trademark status, noting that its trademarks have been in continuous use since 1948 and registered in India since 1983 under Classes 25 and 18 of the Trade Marks Act, 1999. Significantly, PUMA’s trademark was declared a well-known mark by the Trade Marks Registry, as published in Trade Mark Journal No. 2144 dated February 19, 2024.

The defendant failed to appear or file a written statement despite proper service of summons, leading to the case being decided ex parte. The court had earlier restrained the defendant from using PUMA’s trademarks and directed the Domain Name Registrar to suspend access to the website “https://theshoeskart.com.

The court awarded ₹5,90,000 as actual costs and an additional ₹2,10,000 as damages, totaling ₹8,00,000. The defendant has been directed to make the payment within ninety days, failing which interest at 6% per annum will apply.

Mr. Ranjan Narula, Mr. Shakti Priyam Nair, and Mr. Parth Bajaj appeared as advocates for PUMA SE, while the defendant remained unrepresented throughout the proceedings.

Case Title: PUMA SE vs. Himanshu Sharma

[Read Order]