The Delhi High Court Tuesday allowed the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to let the name of the Metro station outside Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi remain ‘FIITJEE-IIT’ — but with a disclaimer that the private coaching institute is in no manner connected to IIT. “Where the brand name FIITJEE-IIT is there, a disclaimer should be put,” Justice Vibhu Bakhru said, directing that the disclaimer should clearly indicate that FIITJEE is not connected with the IIT or any of its centres in any manner. It further said the font and size of the disclaimer should be identical with the font and size in which FIITJEE is written at the station or any other place where DMRC uses the name. The court was hearing a plea by IIT seeking directions to DMRC not to use its name in conjunction with FIITJEE for its Metro station in south Delhi, claiming it was impacting the image of the premier engineering institution. “There can’t be an incorrect representation,” the court observed, pulling up the DMRC for allowing a deceptive co-branding at its station. The Metro station has the name ‘FIITJEE- IIT’ emblazoned on it, which the institute authorities claim gives the impression of a partnership between IIT-Delhi and the coaching school. The counsel for IIT had submitted that it does not want its name associated with a private coaching institute. “We do not want to be part of branding of a coaching institute for their narrow commercial interests,” the IIT’s counsel said, adding that “if DMRC wanted to use IIT’s name with someone else, it should have first asked the institute”. FIITJEE, in response to IIT-Delhi’s allegation, said the coaching institute was not at fault and that a tender was floated for advertisement at the station and FIITJEE had bid for it. The court, however, said this order will not preclude FIITJEE from taking any action. It further made it clear that it was not stopping IIT from initiating any other action with regard to trade infringement. The DMRC counsel added that he had no objection to the court’s suggestion and that a disclaimer has already been put on the hoarding. He added that the disclaimer’s font and size would be made identical to dispel any confusion. The court, however, asked why a disclaimer was not issued at the time of the tender. The Metro station outside IIT Delhi was renamed as part of DMRC’s revenue generation efforts in which it has been auctioning naming rights for selected Metro stations. The DMRC has refashioned names of some of its stations as part of its co-branding policy. As many as 41 stations have been taken up under the policy and many have been co-branded, while others are in the pipeline. The Vishwavidyalaya Metro station was co-branded with Honda long ago while the Jor Bagh station was recently co-branded with LIC.
