No final orders passed; it’s just whistling in the air, says Karnataka

Bengaluru: Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has clarified that media reports saying that the Central Trade Mark Registry has allowed Kerala to use KSRTC are factually incorrect and that no final order has been passed in the appeal.

Taking to twitter as widespread reactions has come on the reports on this social media platform, KSRTC Managing Director and IAS officer Shivayogi C. Kalasad, in a series of tweets, has pooh-poohed Kerala’s claims. 

Both Kerala and Karnataka SRTCs have been involved in a decades-old legal battle over the use of the abbreviation KSRTC and it was widely reported that Central Trade Marks Registry had announced its final verdict on Wednesday, and only Kerala SRTC can use the abbreviation KSRTC.

“These reports are factually incorrect as we have not received any such notice or order from the Central Trade Mark Registry as claimed, until today. No final orders have also been passed in the said appeals. The Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) was abolished by an Ordinance of the Central Government dated 04.04.2021 and all such pending applications will be transferred to the High Court for adjudication. So as on date, KSRTC’s registration of the marks continues to be legally in force and the claim of KeralaSRTC in news reports that Karnataka State cannot use the trademarks is factually incorrect and legally untenable,” he stated. 

In the light of this, there is no legal prohibition against the use of the trademark KSRTC by Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation, he added. 

On the Kerala Transport Secretary Biju Prabhakar issuing a notice to Karnataka, Kalasad said, “If and when such a notice is received, a suitable reply would be issued. We are currently consulting our lawyers to take effective legal steps to protect our rights. In the meanwhile, it is requested to restrain from publishing any such unverified and incorrect reports with legally untenable claims, as reportedly stated by KeralaSRTC. We reserve our right to legally defend our claim.”