Thiruvananthapuram: After the long trademark fight over intellectual property claims, the Kerala Road Transport Corporation has received the legal title to its brands’ acronym KSRTC, the logo of two elephants, and the name Anavandi linked with the state-run transport corporation. The Controller General of Patents Design and Trade Marks under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry passed Kerala’s appeal on Wednesday. The registration will give Kerala RTC the sole custodian of the labels. All buses of the corporation will illustrate KSRTC with the sign to show the registration (R). A senior officer from the Karnataka Transport Department said they are yet to obtain the official communication and they will be able to reply after getting the copy of the mandate.
The Kerala RTC and Karnataka State Transport Corporation were battling over the custody of the acronym ‘KSRTC’ for the past seven years. Even now, buses and websites of both RTCs apply KSRTC. The judgment is possible to end the uncertainty among passengers to understand which one is the real KSRTC.“The history of KSRTC is intertwined with the lives of the people of the state. It is not just a transport service but has left the legacy of public transport in our cultural life including films and literature. It is not something that can be erased so easily. It is a pleasure to know that the Trade Mark Registry recognized the state’s claim. It is a victory for KSRTC and I congratulate all officials involved in the effort,” said Kerala Transport Minister Antony Raju.
The fight over ‘KSRTC’ started when Karnataka RTC moved for trademark registration in 2014. A legal notification from Karnataka RTC roused Kerala up and made it hurry up processes to get charge of the trademark claims.“Only we have the right to use the acronym KSRTC. We will send a notice to Karnataka,” said KSRTC CMD Biju Prabhakar. “We have followed the registration application closely in the last year. We have presented pictures and other evidence to prove that we have indeed started ahead of Karnataka.”
Read more; End of a political era : Israel to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is one of the oldest operated and maintained public transport services in the nation. Travancore State Transport Department (TSTD) was restored as Kerala State Road Transport Corporation on April 1, 1965. Karnataka RTC also has a related legacy, but it began as Mysore Government Road Transport Department and then became Karnataka Transport Corporation in 1973. The CMD also said KSRTC will forward notices to people using the trademark name, Anavandi. Many popular blogs are utilizing the name. With the name in custody, KSRTC can demand money for using its trademark, said Biju Prabhakar.
Post Your Comments