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India: My Name is Khan ! Actor Salman Khan served notice by Khan Market Traderr’s Association, New Delhi.

As reported by the Times of India, an Indian daily, the Khan Market Traders’ Association in New Delhi has sent a legal notice to renowned Bollywood actor, Salman Khan, on January 15, 2016 asking him to withdraw the name Khan Market from his e-commerce portal www.khanmarketonline.com, and to stop the unauthorized use of the trade name ‘Khan Market’.

The shopping web portal ‘www.khanmarketonline.com’ was launched by Salman Khan on his 50th birthday on December 27, 2015. The domain name was registered on December 16, 2015 (privacy protected).

According to the President of the Association, Mr. Sanjiv Mehra, online retail is eating into the offline retail market, and the e-commerce website launched by Salman Khan will affect traders in Khan Market as people will perceive that it is the Khan Market traders who are selling their things online. He further stated that there is no other Khan Market anywhere in India, and this market has a brand name across Asia which the said e-commerce portal is trying to capitalize on.

Grounds taken in the notice, as reported:

• The web portal is misusing the name Khan Market and hence amounts to passing off its goods as the goods belonging to the traders of the market.
• The things sold on the website www.khanmarketonline.com would be construed as sold by traders of the actual and physical Khan Market in New Delhi.
• The portal ‘khanmarketonline.com’ may not only be construed as “deceptive and misleading” for traders but may also affect consumers of the brand name of the upscale market.

Trademark Applications:

Meanwhile, our research revealed that Salman Khan has also filed the following applications for registration of the trade mark/K KHAN MARKET ONLINE, as recently as December 24, 2015:

  

The legal notice reportedly stipulates a period of seven (7) days within which the impugned named is to be withdrawn. According to Mr. Sanjiv Mehra, if such withdrawal does not happen or any favourable response is not received within the stipulated 7 days, a legal action will be initiated. Whether or not the matter is taken further to court, shall surely be kept on watch with bated breath.