Recently, the Delhi HC Fines Amazon Technologies Inc. ₹340 crore under IPR laws. Here’s a quick breakdown of the case.
The Beverly Hills Polo Club vs Amazon trademark infringement case has several details. Amazon and Cloudtail India got involved in the case because Cloudtail was selling clothes with a logo that looked very similar to the Beverly Hills Polo Club brand, and since it was selling through Amazon—which had a close business link with Cloudtail—the court held both responsible for the trademark misuse. The BHPC trademark was registered in India in 2007, and between 2015 and 2020, Cloudtail India allegedly sold infringing products using a deceptively similar logo. On October 12, 2020, the Delhi High Court issued a temporary injunction on the sale of the products. This injunction was made permanent on March 2, 2023. Finally, on February 26, 2025, the court delivered its landmark judgment, ordering Amazon to pay ₹340 crore in damages and legal costs. In May 2025, Amazon challenged this ruling before a division bench of the Delhi High Court.
The case began when the owner of the Beverly Hills Polo Club (BHPC) brand filed a lawsuit against Amazon Technologies Inc., alleging that the company had sold clothing bearing the BHPC brand name and logo without authorization. The plaintiff claimed this amounted to trademark infringement, as Indian law strictly prohibits the use of a registered trademark by any third party without the explicit permission of the trademark holder. This unauthorized use not only misled consumers but also diluted the brand’s identity and market value.
Initially, the Delhi High Court made a temporary injunction against the sale of the infringing products under the name of Amazon Technologies Inc. This order was meant to prevent further misuse of the Beverly Hills Polo Club (BHPC) trademark during the trial. After nearly three years of investigation and legal proceedings, the court passed a permanent injunction on March 2, 2023, officially prohibiting the sale and promotion of the infringing goods. Finally, on February 26, 2025, the court delivered its landmark judgment, ordering Amazon to pay penalties.
Final Judgment of The Court
The Delhi High Court, presided over by Justice Prathiba M. Singh, ruled that Amazon Technologies Inc. was not merely an intermediary but played an active role in selling and promoting infringing goods. She emphasized that Amazon cannot escape liability by shifting the blame onto third-party sellers when it is directly involved in the sale process.
She noted that the use of a deceptively similar mark to Beverly Hills Polo Club (BHPC) was likely to confuse consumers and constituted a clear case of trademark infringement under Indian law. And ordered a penalty against Amazon.
The total penalty amounted to ₹340 crore. Out of this, ₹292.7 crore was awarded as compensation for lost royalties, ₹43.33 crore was allocated for advertising and marketing expenses, and ₹3.23 crore was directed toward court fees and other additional legal costs. This comprehensive penalty reflected the extent of commercial harm caused by the unauthorized use of the Beverly Hills Polo Club trademark by Amazon Technologies Inc.
Delhi HC Fines Amazon Legal point of view
This case stands as a landmark example of the importance of trademark rights and the enforcement of intellectual property laws. The court passed its judgment based on the use of a deceptively similar logo by Amazon, which had the potential to mislead consumers and create confusion between the original BHPC and the copied products. Such misuse was recognized as a clear breach of trademark law and a violation of the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) framework, reinforcing that even global corporations are not above the law when it comes to protecting brand identity.