trademark
Konaflex v. Koanaflex: One-Letter Trademark Injunction
The Delhi High Court has reaffirmed that trademark infringement does not require identical marks, only deceptive similarity. In Konaflex v. Koanaflex, the court examined whether adding a single vowel to a brand name sufficiently distinguishes it. Concluding that the marks were phonetically and visually indistinguishable in the trade, the court granted an injunction. This ruling emphasizes that courts prioritize the practical realities of how orders are placed—often orally—over technical spelling differences. For business owners, this highlights the risks of adopting marks that ride too closely to existing coined brands.