Kerala wins legal battle, gets to keep ‘KSRTC’ acronym for road transport; Karnataka can no longer use it
After the long drawn-out battle over intellectual property rights, the Kerala Road Transport Corporation has got the legal right to its trademarks -- acronym KSRTC associated with the state-run transport corporation.
FollowThiruvananthapuram, Bengaluru: KSRTC became Kerala’s own brand, legally and truly, on Wednesday. Trade Marks registry certified that the emblem, the abbreviation KSRTC, logo and the name Aanavandi shall belong to Kerala Road Transport corporation.
The Controller General of Patents Design and Trade Marks under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry approved Kerala’s claim on Wednesday. The registration will make Kerala RTC the sole custodian of the trademarks. All buses of the corporation will display KSRTC with the mark to indicate the registration (R).
A senior officer from the Karnataka Transport Department said they are yet to receive official communication and they will be able to respond after receiving the copy of the order.
The transport corporations of the two southern states have been commonly using the five-letter short form on their buses. The name 'KSRTC' had evolved itself into a brand in both the states with thousands of people depending on these public transport systems for their daily commute.
However, a legal war began in 1994 when Karnataka issued a notice to Kerala against the use of 'KSRTC', claiming that they had secured the trademark on it. Kerala approached the Trade Marks Registry, saying they were the first to use the brand 'KSRTC' on their buses.
After 27 years of legal battle, the Trade Marks Registry ruled in favour of Kerala. The state also secured ownership of the popular nickname of the bus service 'Aanavandi'.
Karnataka had registered and won ownership over KSRTC brand with the Gandaberunda icon (two-headed mythical bird) in 2014. Kerala then filed an appeal with the trade marks registry. Karnataka had sent a communication to Kerala furnishing evidence and certificate issued in its favour and requested Kerala not to use the name KSRTC anymore. Former KSRTC MD Antony Chacko started off a legal battle to win back the brand name for Kerala.
Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is one of the oldest operated and managed public transport utilities in the country. Travancore State Transport Department (TSTD) was reestablished as Kerala State Road Transport Corporation on April 1, 1965. Karnataka RTC also has a similar legacy, but it started as Mysore Government Road Transport Department and then became Karnataka Transport Corporation in 1973.
The CMD also said KSRTC will send notices to people using the trademark name, Anavandi. There are many popular blogs using the name. With the name in custody, KSRTC can claim money for using its trademark, said Biju Prabhakar.
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