V.G.Palshikar, J. -
(1.) This appeal is directed against the order passed by the
Additional District Judge No. 1, Jodhpur on 11.8.99
in Civil Misc. Case No. 43/99 on an application under Order 39 Rules 1 & 2 C.P.C. By
the impugned order, the learned trial Judge
injuncted the defendant present appellant from
using a trade mark allegedly belonging to the
plaintiff present respondent. The effect and
operation of the order was, however, stayed
by this Court when the appeal was admitted.
Hearing of the same was, therefore, expedited
and the matter has been heard, on 16.2.01.
The matter was then reserved for orders .
(2.) The facts giving rise to the present
appeal stated briefly are that a suit for permanent injunction was filed in the trial court by
the original plaintiff Bharat Lai (hereinafter
referred to as 'the plaintiff), who is respondent-plaintiff in this Court against the original,
defendant Chunni Lal (hereinafter referred to
as 'the defendant'), who before this Court is
appellant. The plaintiff had alleged that since
the year 1968, he is manufacturing under the
trade name M/s. Bharat Industrial Corporation tractor, hydraulic pump, and tractor parts.
The applicant has specifically averred that he
manufactures various tractor parts with specialisation in control valve, safety valve and
spool and lovering assembly tractor parts
which have a distinct place in the country and
the plaintiff has a reputation in this regard. It
would be necessary in the circumstances to note
that in para 2 of the plaint, the plaintiff has
averred that he has a trade mark duly registered for the tractor parts manufactured by him
and he has described.
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Throughout the plaint, the plaintiff has averred
that he has acquired by his own intelligence
and labour a special reputation in the designs
that he is manufacturing. It is then averred that
it is duly registered under the provisions of the
Trade & Merchandise Marks Act, 1958 (hereinafter referred to as "the Act') and it is valid
up to 1.3.03. Then in para No. 5, it is alleged
that the plaintiff knew the defendant and, therefore,
in the year 1976, he appointed the defendant as his agent to sell the tractor parts
manufactured by him. Thus, on the pleadings
of the plaintiff himself, the defendant was his
distributor since 1976. It is nowhere alleged in
the plaint as to whether this distributorship was
any time terminated by the plaintiff. Then it is
claimed by the plaintiff that he read a notice
published in Rajasthan Patrika dated 12-4-
1999 whereby the defendant had applied for
registration of the trade mark BIC and cautioned
others not to use it. It was after publication of this notice that the plaintiff came to
know that the defendant is planning to manufacture and sell tractor parts using
BIC monogram as his own, which the defendant had no
right to use. Para 9 contains the averments
that if the defendant is not restrained from
manufacturing tractor parts under the trade
mark of BIC and sell the same, irreparable loss
would be caused to the plaintiff. The suit was
filed u/s. 105 of the Act. The cause of action
is alleged to have occurred on 12.4.99 when
the notice was published. The plaintiff consistent with his claim also filed an application for
temporary injunction on almost identical averments. In the injunction application also, the
averments regarding infringement of trade
mark have been mentioned, which read as
under:-
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(3.) The defendant contested the application by filing appropriate reply and claimed that
no case whatever for grant of injunction is made
out. It was claimed that no case for entertaining the suit itself is made out, there is no cause
of action much less any case for injunction
under order 39 C.P.C.;