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The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a specialized agency of the United Nations for brand protection across the world, has ordered a Delhi-based firm against using the domain name www.urbankhadi.com, which illegally uses the brand name “Khadi”.

Details

• The Administrative Panel of WIPO’s Arbitration and Mediation Center has ruled that the firm “Om Soft Solutions”, owned by one Harsh Gaba, had registered and used the domain name www.urbankhadi.com in “bad faith” and to gain benefit from the goodwill of Khadi.
  
• The panel’s order came on a petition of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) against “Om Soft Solutions” which was indulging in the business of garments by misusing the brand name “Khadi”. 
  
• So far KVIC has issued legal notices to over 1000 private firms including Fabindia for misusing its brand name and selling products under the name of Khadi.
  

About WIPO

• The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations with 193 member states. The mission of WIPO is to develop a balanced and accessible international intellectual property (IP) system, which rewards creativity, stimulates innovation and contributes to economic development while safeguarding the public interest.
• WIPO was established by the WIPO Convention in 1967 with a mandate from its Member States to promote the protection of IP throughout the world through cooperation among states and in collaboration with other international organizations. Its headquarters are in Geneva & Switzerland. The Director General is Francis Gurry.
• India is a member of World Intellectual Property Organization a specialized agency of UN in the area of Intellectual Property. The nodal activities related to WIPO were transferred to this Department from Department of Higher Education in 2005.

Source: PIB