India’s Indigo Sues Mahindra in Fight Over Use of ‘6E’ Branding

IndiGo, India’s biggest airline, has sued automaker Mahindra for trademark infringement over its use of “6E” in branding its latest electric vehicle, legal papers show.

Mahindra in a stock exchange filing, denied any wrongdoing, saying its recently launched electric vehicles “BE 6e” and “XEV 9e” had the necessary trademark registration and there was no conflict with the “standalone ‘6E'” branding used by IndiGo.

IndiGo, which has a 60% share of India’s domestic aviation sector, has used “6E” as its call sign and across all its branding for years, including its co-branded credit cards, rewards program and in-flight magazine.

In its 48-page lawsuit filing, which is not public but was reviewed by Reuters, IndiGo argues that Mahindra had “deliberately tried to associate themselves” with the aviation industry by claiming their car is shaped like a cockpit.

While trademark infringement cases are common in India, legal disputes between big publicly traded companies have been rare.

IndiGo’s ‘6E’ trade mark has been exclusively associated with its services for over 18 years and “is now at risk of losing its distinctiveness” due to Mahindra’s use of ‘BE 6e’, the airline said in the court filing.

Mahindra in its stock exchange filing said it is “engaged in discussions with them (IndiGo) to find an amicable solution.” It has not commented on the contents of the lawsuit.

IndiGo has sought a permanent injunction through its filing in the Delhi High Court.

With its latest range, Mahindra aims to take on rivals Tata Motors’ Curvv and Hyundai’s Creta in India’s fast growing compact SUV range. The segment has grown nearly 20% in the first six months of the current fiscal year.

India’s EV market is small, making up about 2% of total car sales of 4 million last year, but the government wants to increase EVs’ share to 30% by 2030.

(Reporting by Chaturvedi; Editing by Louise Heavens and Susan Fenton)