Burger King Corporation, which has over 13,000 restaurants worldwide, filed a lawsuit against Anahita and Shapoor Irani, owners of Pune’s Burger King outlets in Camp and Koregaon Park
Pune-based Burger King has won a 13-year legal battle against the global fast-food giant, Burger King Corporation from the US. The commercial court in Pune, presided over by District Judge Sunil Vedpathak, dismissed the multinational company’s petition, allowing the local eatery to continue using its well-known name.
In a legal dispute, Burger King Corporation, which has over 13,000 restaurants worldwide, filed a lawsuit against Anahita and Shapoor Irani, owners of Pune’s Burger King outlets in Camp and Koregaon Park. The global chain accused them of trademark infringement, seeking damages and a permanent injunction to prevent the local restaurant from using the “Burger King” name.
Judge Vedpathak ruled in favour of the Irani family, emphasising that Pune’s Burger King had been using the name and trademark since 1992—long before the US corporation registered its trademark in India. The court noted that while the international brand had not operated under the name in India for nearly 30 years, the Pune establishment had consistently used the “Burger King” name, making its use both legal and legitimate.
The US-based Burger King, established in 1954, entered the Indian market in 2014 and found out that a restaurant with the same name had been operating in Pune since 2008. The global company’s lawsuit, which began after finding out about the Pune trademark application in 2008, argued that the existence of the name in Pune was damaging its brand reputation.