Supreme Court asks Matrimony.com, Jodi365 to explore settlement in ‘Jodii’ trademark dispute

The Supreme Court recently granted Matrimony.com and Jodi365 a chance to explore a settlement in their trademark dispute over the use of 'Jodii' by Matrimony.com. In this development, the court expressed reluctance to interfere with the Madras High Court's previous ruling, which prohibited Matrimony.com from using 'Jodii' for its matchmaking app.

Instead of dismissing Matrimony.com's plea, the court decided to keep it pending while the two companies negotiate a potential settlement. During the hearing, Matrimony.com proposed renaming the app 'Jodi Matrimony' to address the issue, stating that an abrupt shutdown would negatively impact its business and existing users. The bench requested that both parties discuss the proposal and suggested they would revisit the matter if no agreement was reached.

This situation arose after Matrimony.com challenged a Madras High Court order from August 11, which barred it from using 'Jodii' or any other mark similar to Jodi365. The dispute originated in October 2021 when Matrimony.com launched the Jodii matchmaking app. FreeElective Network Pvt Ltd, the operator of Jodi365, filed a trademark infringement and passing-off suit against Matrimony.com in the Madras High Court, alleging that the phonetically similar 'Jodii' could confuse users.

Matrimony.com countered that FreeElective's registration only covered the composite 'Jodi365' mark and did not grant exclusive rights to the word 'Jodi.' The court ultimately decided against FreeElective's suit in July 2022, acknowledging that the word 'Jodi' remained descriptive and non-distinctive. However, a division bench reversed this decision earlier this month, ordering Matrimony.com to stop using 'Jodii' and destroy any related materials.

Matrimony.com subsequently appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that FreeElective did not hold a trademark registration for Class 45, which covers matrimonial and matchmaking services.