The Bombay High Court has intervened in a trademark dispute between Abhishek Lodha of Macrotech Developers and his brother Abhinandan Lodha of House of Abhinandan Lodha. The court has suggested mediation to resolve the issue, questioning whether the brothers made any genuine effort to resolve their dispute before approaching the courts.
The Lodha group was founded in the 1980s by Mangal Prabhat Lodha. In 2010, the ‘Lodha’ brand was registered as a trademark. However, disputes arose within the family between 2008-2015, leading to several family agreements being made and subsequently cancelled. A new agreement in 2017 divided control of the real estate business between Mangal Prabhat Lodha and Abhishek, while Abhinandan took over ‘new business’ under ‘Lodha Ventures’.
The current dispute centers around the use of the ‘Lodha’ brand by both parties. Macrotech claims that Abhinandan is not complying with an agreement from 2023 that prohibited him from using any name similar to or preceded by ‘Lodha’. Abhinandan, on the other hand, states that he has built ‘House of Abhinandan Lodha’ from scratch and operates in a different segment of the real estate market than Macrotech.
The matter has been directed to mediation under former Supreme Court Justice RV Raveendran, with experts highlighting the importance of clear agreements in family-run businesses to avoid such disputes. If successful, the mediation could bring an end to the ongoing legal battle between the Lodha brothers.
