Following a settlement with the Coca-Cola Company, which is the owner of the “Coke Studio” trademark, the food blogging platform Cook Studio, which is primarily involved in the production of videos and other cooking-related content, has decided to change its name to “Cook Pro 6.” Justice Pratibha M. Singh ordered in the case of Nikhil Chawla v The Coca-Cola Company , acknowledging the parties’ decision to come to a mutual settlement.
The court on perusal of the terms of settlement has found the same to be lawful. There was no impediment in recording the settlement. Accordingly, the parties and all others acting for and on their behalf shall be bound by the settlement terms contained above. The suit is decreed in terms of the above terms recorded in paras 5(1) to 5(5) above
the Court held
According to the terms of the settlement outlined in a Joint Memo dated September 12th, the plaintiff shall use the mark “Cook Pro 6” instead of the mark “Cook Studio” for the channels and platforms where the latter has been in use. By November 30th, 2022, the plaintiff shall have completely switched to the mark “Cook Pro 6” and stopped using the mark “Cook Studio.”
Additionally, the settlement stipulated that the Coca-Cola Company, the defendant, would not object to or otherwise obstruct the plaintiff’s use of the new mark and previous iterations of “Cook Pro 6”.
Additionally, it was agreed that the owner of the disputed food blogging account, plaintiff Nikhil Chawla, would revoke any trademark registrations pertaining to “Cook Studio” and thereby withdraw the lawsuit mentioned in the lawsuit’s title.
Due to the amicable resolution of the conflict, the court ordered that the plaintiff get a full refund of the court money and accordingly dismissed the case.
The Coca-Cola Company, the respondent, had sent Chawla a letter asking him to stop using the mark COOK STUDIO for his blog about cooking. Chawla responded by filing a lawsuit.
Coca-legal Cola’s team claimed that the use of the trademark “Cook Studio” would violate its trademark “Coke Studio.” The plaintiff, however, claimed that the two marks’ logos and colour schemes are wholly dissimilar and that the words “Cook” and “Studio” are likewise generic terms.
Chawla was represented by attorneys Adarsh Ramanujan, Lzafeer Ahmad, and Skanda Shekhar. Advocates Anuradha Salhotra, Naval Kastia, Naval Bhardwaj, and Priyanka Anand spoke on behalf of The Coca-Cola Company.
Rajeev Virmani, a senior advocate, functioned as the mediator.
[Read order]
