The Delhi High Court has issued an order for the removal of websites, mobile applications, WhatsApp accounts, groups, and phone numbers that exploit the trademark of Swedish conglomerate IKEA to deceive individuals.

In a ruling issued on March 12, Justice Anish Dayal further prohibited these unidentified individuals, referred to as "John Doe," from utilizing the IKEA trademark for their domain names, websites, mobile applications, or any social media handle in any capacity.

The Bench requested details of the individuals operating the websites, to be provided in a sealed cover.

IKEA had approached the High Court, asserting that unidentified individuals were exploiting its name and trademark to deceive people, leading to substantial financial losses for ordinary individuals.

It was contended that the mobile application, website, and WhatsApp groups and accounts were being employed to deceive individuals into investing substantial amounts of money under the false pretense of securing a stable income from IKEA. These imitation sites and apps were being utilized as lucrative platforms, promising returns of up to 200% of the invested amount within a span of 35 days.

After careful consideration of the case, the Court determined that prima facie, the defendants had violated IKEA's trademark, causing harm to the company's reputation and position in the market. Consequently, it issued the interim order.

Advocates Tanya Varma, Aiswarya Debadarshini, Rohan Krishna Seth and Srinivas Venkat appeared for IKEA.

Central Government Standing Counsel Nidhi Raman along with Advocates Zubin Singh and Rishav Dubey appeared for the Union of India.