The judgement also includes a ban on Milnna from marketing or distributing any milk, dairy, or related products using branding or packaging that resembles Milma's in any form.
Published Jun 20, 2025 | 2:26 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 25, 2025 | 6:40 PM
Milnna used a similar looking name and used similar packaging.
Synopsis: A court in Thiruvananthapuram ordered a private dairy company, Milnna, to pay a fine of ₹1 crore for violating trademark laws by imitating the name and packaging design of Milma, Kerala’s government-owned dairy cooperative.
The Principal Commercial Court in Thiruvananthapuram ordered a private dairy company, Milnna, to pay a hefty fine of ₹1 crore for violating trademark laws by imitating the name and packaging design of Milma, Kerala’s government-owned dairy cooperative.
The court found Milnna guilty of infringing on Milma’s trademark and packaging style, and imposed an additional six percent penalty interest along with a direction to pay ₹8,18,410 as court fees.
The judgement also includes a ban on Milnna from marketing or distributing any milk, dairy, or related products using branding or packaging that resembles Milma’s in any form.
The court observed that ‘Milnna’ is a blatant copy of the prior registered trademark of Milma.
“The defendant’s (Jose George) impugned mark ‘Milnna’ is a blatant copy of the prior registered trademark of the plaintiff (Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation), and the defendant is unjustly enriching at the cost of the plaintiff and is profiting off the goodwill and reputation earned by the plaintiff. The evidence of the plaintiff shows that the defendant is infringing the registered A schedule trade mark and B schedule trade dress/packing, the goodwill and reputation 46 acquired by the plaintiff to the A schedule trade mark and B schedule trade dress/packing,” stated the December 2024 judgement, which became public recently.
“Thus the plaintiff claims that it is entitled to realise ₹1,00,00,000/- with future interest @ 14.5% from the defendant and charged on all assets of the defendant for infringing the registered A schedule trade mark and B schedule trade dress/packing and for damaging the reputation and goodwill of the plaintiff,” The judge also restrained the Milnna from marketing, selling or advertising any milk, milk products or allied products using product packaging similar to those of Milma,” it added.
The legal action came in response to concerns that the imitation could mislead consumers and damage the brand’s reputation.
“The defendant and his agents are restrained from marketing, offering for sale, advertising for sale and selling any milk or milk products or allied products using plaint C schedule marks or trademarks, trade dress/cover which is deceptively similar to plaint A schedule registered trademarks and B schedule trade dress packing belongs to the plaintiff in India by a decree of perpetual prohibitory injunction”, the judge ordered.
KS Mani, Chairperson of the Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (Milma), welcomed the verdict, stating that the organisation will continue to take stringent measures against any attempts to misrepresent or misuse its identity.
He also urged consumers to stay vigilant and ensure they are purchasing genuine Milma products.
Milma, which operates under the Ministry of Cooperation, government of Kerala, was established in 1980 and is headquartered in Thiruvananthapuram.
This is not the first time the cooperative has taken action against brand impersonators. In 2022, it had pursued legal proceedings against two other private dairies for similar trademark violations.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil with inputs from Sreelakshmi Soman.)
