Home Blog Page 4154

“Down with dictatorship, we want freedom”: Protests erupt in Cuba as citizens demand end to communist regime

OpIndia Staff
-
0
“Down with dictatorship, we want freedom”: Protests erupt in Cuba as citizens demand end to communist regime

Thousands took to the streets in Cuba on Sunday to protest against the lack of freedom, the communist regime and worsening economic conditions in the country. As per reports, power outages for a week triggered massive protests where hundreds of people defied a heavy police presence to get to the streets. 

This comes in the backdrop of the government’s failure to tackle the pandemic, with Cuba experiencing its toughest phase of the coronavirus crisis. Reportedly, the long food lines and a critical shortage of medicines since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic have resulted in public anger with them demanding an end to the communist regime. 

The protestors, mainly young people, hurled insults at President Miguel Diaz-Canel who turned up at the event. In the videos posted online, demonstrators could be heard saying “We are not afraid” of the Covid-19 virus and chanting ‘freedom’ while defying all the protocols. 

The protests that first broke out in San Antonio de los Banos municipality in Artemisa Province, bordering Havana, videos on social media showed hundreds of residents chanting anti-government slogans and demanding everything from coronavirus vaccines to an end of daily blackouts.

“They are protesting blackouts, that there is no medicine,” commented a local resident. 

Additionally, a social media campaign under the hashtag #SOSCuba has multiplied on social media with citizens and even some rap stars urging the government to make it possible for much-needed foreign donations to enter the country.

Protestor in Cuba. Image Source: The Daily Wire

The already struggling Cuban economy has been hit hard with tourism and imports witnessing a steep decline due to the pandemic. As per reports, the communist country is having its worst economic crisis in over 30 years.

Cuban President blames the US 

President Diaz-Canel, who is also the head of the Communist Party, while addressing the nation through a television broadcast, blamed the United States for the unrest.

The Cuban president claimed that while many protesters were sincere, they have been allegedly manipulated by U.S.-orchestrated social media campaigns and “mercenaries” on the ground. He also warned that further “provocations” would not be tolerated.

“We are calling on all the revolutionaries in the country, all the Communists, to hit the streets wherever there is an effort to produce these provocations,” announced Diaz-Canel in response. 

Police use batons and pepper sprays

As per reports, a Reuters journalist witnessed the police pepper spray a few protesters and hit others with batons. A few arrests were made and scuffles were witnessed as thousands of people gathered in downtown Havana. 

Cuba on Sunday recorded 6,900 new Covid-19 cases and 47 deaths. The country currently has two vaccines and has begun a mass vaccination campaign.

The economy which is heavily dependent on tourism, and imports the bulk of its food, fuel and inputs for agriculture and manufacturing, contracted 10.9% last year, and 2% through June of 2021.

Gujarat: Mahant Dilipdasji distributes masks as Prasad as Lord Jagannath takes a tour of Ahmedabad on Rath Yatra

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Gujarat: Mahant Dilipdasji distributes masks as Prasad as Lord Jagannath takes a tour of Ahmedabad on Rath Yatra

Lord Jagannath, His brother Balbhadra and sister Subhadra are taking a tour of Ahmedabad city, giving blessings to their devotees on the 144th Rath Yatra. Last year, due to COVID restrictions, the Rath Yatra could not take place. However, this time, the Rath Yatra is being conducted, minus the devotees along the route of the Lord.

The entire journey from the temple in Jamalpur to the Lord’s maternal home in Saraspur is full of celebrations with devotees singing devotional songs, dancing garba and carrying out various stunts. However, this year, the route is devoid of devotees and only policemen are present amid strict security.

Every year, the Prasad for the devotees is jamun and spouted moong. However, this year, the Mahant (head priest) Dilipdasji gave masks as Prasad to some of the devotees who got to see the Lord.

Earlier in the day, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani conducted the Pahind Vidhi, symbolic ritual where the head of the state cleans the path for the chariots using a golden broom.

Before that, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had also performed the Mangla Aarti at the temple.

He then even offered food to the temple elephant.

The route of the Yatra has a strict curfew to avoid huge gatherings.

The route which would usually be jampacked with devotees wore a deserted look.

Here are some of the stunning visuals of the Lord.

The Lord and His siblings will visit Saraspur, where their maternal home is and post lunch will return back to the temple. The 19 km journey which would usually take up to 12 or more hours will be concluded in 4 to 5 hours this year.

No less than rioters: England football fans create ruckus after losing the Euro 2020 final to Italy

OpIndia Staff
-
0
No less than rioters: England football fans create ruckus after losing the Euro 2020 final to Italy

On July 11 (Local Time), the Riot Police of England had to react swiftly on the West End of the capital after thousands of angry fans started to create ruckus on the streets as England lost Euro 2020 Finale. The fans from England were agitated right before the match itself as many of them tried to enter the fan zone in Trafalgar Square without tickets.

Riot Police descended on Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square after the match as hundreds of football fans were reportedly seen climbing onto street lamps and setting off flares. In the finale, England lost the final to Italy on penalties.

In a statement, Metropolitan Police said, “We have made 45 arrests while policing today’s Euro2020 final. A number of officers remain on duty, helping fans leaving Wembley or central London. We are there to look out for your safety.” However, they did not confirm any reports of stabbings that had been making rounds on the social media platforms suggesting they might be fake information.

Barkenham and Dagenham Police had replied to news agencies informing them that the reports of stabbing were incorrect. They said, “This information is incorrect. We were called at 18:31hrs to reports of a group of people fighting in the area. Officers attended. No injuries were reported.”

Ticketless football fans tried to enter the stadium

Reportedly, Police had earlier informed on their official Twitter handle that they were engaging with the fans to inform them no tickets were available.

They said, “A large crowd of fans have gathered near to the fan zone in Trafalgar Square attempting to push in without tickets. There are no more tickets or seats available in the fan zone. We’re engaging with this crowd and telling them to disperse.”

During the rampage, dozens of fans were seen trampling down the security cordon at the Club Wembley entrance. The stewards and riot police had to chase them down to ensure no ticketless fan enter the stadium. However, the crowd was too large to handle, and hundreds of fans manage to enter the stadium that stunned the security guards. Some fans were seen throwing punches as the guards.

In a statement, the stadium’s spokesperson said, “There was a breach of security, and a small group of people got into the stadium. We are now working closely with stadium stewards and security to remove these people. Anyone inside the stadium without a ticket will be instantly ejected.”

Italian fans came on the roads after the win

As Italy won the game, hundreds of Italians took the roads to celebrate it. They were seen celebrating in Piccadilly Circus, where many fans were wearing “It’s coming Rome” T-shirts.

‘Will turn you into a wh*re, convert you to Islam’: Here are the details about the controversy in Delhi’s Garhi village

अजीत झा
-
0
‘Will turn you into a wh*re, convert you to Islam’: Here are the details about the controversy in Delhi’s Garhi village

Recently, a video surfaced on social media wherein two Delhi women, namely Aarti Chaudhary and her mother are heard making some serious allegations against their neighbours Shamshad and his son. The women revealed how they have been subjected to constant harassment by Shamshad and his aides for raising voices against the illicit business they had been running in the pretext of operating a textile store.

The incident in question occurred in the Garhi village near East of Kailash in Delhi, where one Niwaspal Chaudhary lives with his wife, his mentally handicapped son and daughter Aarti Chaudhary on the first floor of a stand-alone building. On the ground floor of the same building, Shamshad and his son run a clothing store.

Victim claims Shamshad and kin ran conversion racket under the guise of running the clothes store in Delhi

When OpIndia reached out to the victim’s family, Aarti accused Shamshad and his son, Nadeem, of harassment from the time she started protesting against the duo’s unlawful business. She alleged that the father-son duo make pornographic films and run a conversion racket under the guise of running the clothes store.

Shamshad talks to members of various Hindu organisations

Aarti told us that she started receiving molestation and death threats ever since she first raised objections against their illegal businesses.

Accused brought young girls to their shop and used them for child pornography

Aarti alleged that Shamshad and his son brought young girls to their shop and used them for child pornography. They also forcefully converted them to Islam. She added that one day, when Aarti heard the cries of those helpless girls, she went down to Shamshad’s shop and confronted the father-son duo. She also made a video of the act, she said.

Aarti then filed a complaint against Shamshad and his son at Amar Colony police station in July 2020. In her complaint, she accused Shamshad and his son of carrying out unlawful acts under the guise of running a clothing store. She also complained of being harassed ever since she exposed the father-son duo. She wrote in her complaint that the accused have been using highly abusive and derogatory language against her family, issuing constant rape threats and also threatening to kill them if they do not take their complaint back.

Recounting the harrowing ordeal, Aarti told that in this one year, the police have not taken any action against the accused. She said that she has also written to DCP, Delhi Commission for Women in this regard, but to no avail.

It may be noted that OpIndia is in possession of all the documents and the copy of the complaint filed by the victim’s family against Shamshad and his son.

Mob barged into the victim’s house and gave rape threats amidst ‘Allahu Akbar’ chants

Further narrating the horror, Aarti reminisced how on June 30, 2021, Shamshad and his sons along with 60-70 people barged into her house. They raised ‘Allahu Akhbar’ slogans and threaten them with dire consequences if they did not take back the complaint filed against Shamshad and his son, she alleged.

She said that most of these people, whom she did not know personally, came from Shaheen Bagh and Okhla, the two Muslim dominated areas of Delhi, where Shamshad resides. She had also lodged a complaint regarding this with the police, but like always, this complaint too fell on deaf ears, she said.

The mother, meanwhile, recounting the horror, also lamented that the harassment started after Aarti filed a complaint against Shamshad and his sides. “They barged into our house and asked, where is the girl who filed the complaint. They shouted that they will turn her into a wh*re, rip her clothes and rape her in front of them. They also allegedly threatened to forcefully convert her to Islam. She added that the mob also raised Allahu Akbar slogans and assaulted them.

It becomes imperative to note here that when the OpIndia journalist went to visit Aarti, a man had tried to stop him. The man, who was sitting in Shamshad’s shop, brusquely, warned our journalist to not go upstairs. However, when the OpIndia staff introduced himself, the dubious man insisted on accompanying him to Aarti’s house.

Aarti’s mother furthered that they have been forcefully confined in their own house for the last 10 days. “The goons have locked our house from outside. They have installed CCTV cameras, through which they are keeping a tab on us,” said Aarti’s mother adding that whatever be the consequences she is proud of her daughter took a stand against the criminal act.

Shamshad claims the entire dispute is related to property

After speaking to the victim’s family, OpIndia also spoke to Shamshad and his son Nadeem, to hear their side of the story. They claimed that the entire dispute is related to property.

According to the Shamshad, the entire building belonged to him and his partner. He claimed he had all the documents of the building to support his claims. Shamshad told us that entire dispute began after the Chaudhary family failed to pay the rent since past few months. “When we asked them to pay, Aarti levelled false allegations against us. She lodged a false complaint at the police station against me and my son”, claimed Shamshad, adding that they too filed a counter complaint accusing Aarti Chaudhary of assault, indulging in obscene activities and giving a communal angle to the dispute.

Shamshad claimed that following the dispute, he installed CCTV cameras in the building which were removed by the members of the Chaudhary family.

Meanwhile, refuting the accusations, Aarti said that Shamshad was lying and that her father had actually brought the flat from him. However, later when they came to know that the building constructed illegally, they asked Shamshad to return their money which he did not. She said that the property dispute was an entirely different episode and had no connection with his incident. To hide his wrongdoings, Shamshad is linking this to the property dispute, alleged Aarti.

What Delhi police told OpIndia

To delve into the case deeper, OpIndia also got in touch with Sandeep Kumar, Additional SHO of Amar Colony police station, who said that the police is investigating the case. However, he refused to share any details of the case with us.

Richard Branson beats Jeff Bezos to become the first billionaire to ride their own rocket to space

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Richard Branson beats Jeff Bezos to become the first billionaire to ride their own rocket to space

British billionaire Richard Branson rode a rocket of his company Virgin Galactic to fly to the edge of space today. The company plans to start space tourism in the near future, and this flight is part of the test program for that plan. The flight is intended as a marketing event and also a confidence-building exercise for the planned commercial space flight by the company, which are scheduled to start next year, if everything goes right.

The billionaire is joined by five company employees who are took off to space in a company rocket from a launchpad in New Mexico, USA. “It’s a beautiful day to go to space. We’ve arrived at Spaceport America”, Branson tweeted just two hours before his scheduled take-off.

It is was take off and not lift off, because Richard Branson and his co-travellers boarded a space vehicle that was carried by another aircraft, which took off from a runway at the company’s Spaceport America launch site in New Mexico.

The Virgin Galactic’s space vehicle rides a specially built dual-fuselage aircraft as the launchpad for its rocket. The White Night Two, which is powered by four jet engines, looks like two conventional aircraft joined by the wings, which carries the space vehicle SpaceShipTwo. After taking off like a conventional aircraft, after reaching an altitude of around 13 kilometes, the SpaceShipTwo is released from the launch vehicle. The space vehicle then fires its own rocket engines for the journey to space.

The space vehicle, fired by a VSS Unity rocket, can reach a maximum height of around 70 kilometres, after which it glides back to earth for a runway landing. The vehicle is expected to land on the runway around one and a half-hour after the takeoff.

David Mackay and Michael Masucci, who had filed on earlier test flights of the company, are piloting the space vehicle, which will experience zero gravity for few minutes, before starting a slow descend to the earth.

Other than Branson and the two pilots, the passengers are Virgin Galactic astronaut trainer Beth Moses, flight engineer Colin Bennett and Sirisha Bandla, the company’s vice president of government affairs and research operations.

Branson was scheduled to take the flight later in the year, but when Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announced his plan to fly to space on his company Blue Origin rocket on July 20, Branson decided to beat him to be the first entrepreneur to reach space on his own rocket.

Both Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin plan to operate passenger flights to the edge of space. With today’s flight, the competition between the two companies in the space tourism business officially started.

Punjab Police arrests one Jatinder Singh for vandalism of Shiv Temple in Malerkotla

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Punjab Police arrests one Jatinder Singh for vandalism of Shiv Temple in Malerkotla

A man has been arrested in connection with the vandalism of a Shiv Temple in Saroud Village, Ahmedgarh, district Malerkotla in Punjab. The Shivling and other Murthis in the Temple were damaged in the intervening night between the 9th and 10th of July. The arrest comes after Hindus in the area went on a hunger strike demanding justice.

The Police said in a press note, “On date 10.07.21 Sarpanch Gurbachan Singh of Village Sarod informed Police officials of PS Sadar Ahmadgarh that on the outskirts of Village Sarod on Malerkotla Road, a Shiv temple is situated which was built in year 1972 by Pandit Sh. Radha krishan and their family is Looking after the temple and taking cam of it since generations. Today in morning time at around 6 AM, when Pujari Tek Chand reached the temple premises, he saw that Shivling and Nandigan statues were in damaged condition which seems to be handiwork of some unknown anti social person/persons, which has caused hurt to the religious sentiments of common people. Therefore, Fir no 75 dated 10-7-2021 u/s 295 A, 34 IPC PS Sadar Ahmadgarh was registered in this regard.” (sic)

Press note released by the Police

The press note stated further, “Regarding investigation of abovesaid case, under the able guidance and effective supervision of Smt. Kanwardeep Kaur, IPS, SSP Malerkotla and Sh. Harmeet Singh Hundal, PPS SP(D) Malerkotla and under supervision of Sh. Amandeep Singh Brar, PPS, SP Malerkotla and Sh. Sandeep Kumar Wadhera, PPS , DSP Ahmadgarh, the police party of SHO PS Sadar Ahmadgarh SI Harmesh Singh achieved huge success when they were able to apprehend and arrest the accused Jatinder Singh @ Jyoti s/o Damtar Singh r/o village Mauladudh, PS Maloud from near drain pull towards Khanpur side.”

“The police remand of the abovesaid accused Jatinder Singh @ Jyoti is being sought after producing him in Hon’ble Court and further investigation in the case is being carried out.
Details of cases registered against accused: 1. Fir No. 145 Date 20.11.2008 U/s 457, 380 IPC PS Malerkotla 2. Fir No. 53 Date 14.06.2009 U/s 457, 380 IPC PS Amargarh 3. Fir No. 57 Date 14.06.2009 U/s 392, 506, 34 IPC PS Amargarh,” it added.

OpIndia reached out to SHO PS Sadar Ahmadgarh SI Harmesh Singh who said that Police came to know about the incident on July 10. “We have arrested accused Jatinder Singh. He already had multiple FIRs registered against him. Investigation is underway,” he stated.

Aman Thapar, district President Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Malerkotla, had said that the attack was an attempt to create disharmony between communities. Vijay Dholewal, Dharam Pracharak, Bajrang Dal Sangrur had also said that Hindu places of worship are being targeted.

RSS to train and send workers to 2.5 lakh places across India during the anticipated 3rd wave of Covid-19

OpIndia Staff
-
0
RSS to train and send workers to 2.5 lakh places across India during the anticipated 3rd wave of Covid-19

On Sunday (July 11), Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) announced that it will train workers to tackle the ground situation at 2.5 lakh places in the country during the anticipated third wave of the Coronavirus pandemic.

In a press release by RSS (Chitrakoot branch) in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh, it informed that 27,166 shakhas have been initiated to work at ground zero. The Swayamsevaks and Prant Pracharaks also reviewed the circumstances arising out of the second wave of the Coronavirus pandemic. They also discussed the work done so far including the creation of facilitation centres, conducting promotional campaigns for vaccination.

“In view of the possibility of the third wave of Corona, special “workers’ training” will be organized in the whole country to cooperate with the administration and help the potential victims. In such a situation, these trained workers will reach about 2.5 lakh places to reach the people at the appropriate time to get all the necessary information to boost the morale of the society. This training will be completed in the month of August and from September, many more people and organizations will be connected in this campaign through Jan Jagran (public awareness) in every village and township,” RSS informed.

RSS conducting shakhas, weekly meetings

The social organisation emphasised that precautions have been taken to ensure that children and mothers are safe from the Coronavirus pandemic. Currently, 39,454 shakhas have been operating across the country. Out of them, 12288 are e-shakhas while 27,166 are present on the ground. At the same time, 10,130 meetings (Saptahik Milan) are being conducted each week. There is a total of 6510 in-person meetings, 3620 online meetings and 9637 family meetings (Kutumb Milan).

UP ATS busts Al-Qaeda affiliate terrorist group’s module in Lucknow, express unhappiness over live telecast of operation

OpIndia Staff
-
0
UP ATS busts Al-Qaeda affiliate terrorist group’s module in Lucknow, express unhappiness over live telecast of operation

On July 11, Uttar Pradesh Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) busted a major Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind module in Lucknow. Prashant Kumar, ADG Law & Order, UP, said that this organisation is affiliated with terror outfit Al-Qaeda. In an official statement issued by ADG Kumar and IG ATS, it was reported ATS got information about Umar Halmandi, a terrorist of Al-Qaeda, who got orders to execute terrorist attacks in India. He operates from the India-Afghanistan border.

He has been actively radicalising Muslims and recruiting them for terrorist operations. In this process, he recruited a few radicals in Lucknow to build the Al-Qaeda module. Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, which is a part of Al Qaeda, has been training these radicals to execute terror attacks in India. A few names were revealed during the investigation, including Minhaz, Maseeruddin, and Shakeel. These three were preparing to execute bomb blasts and suicide attacks in several places across Uttar Pradesh, especially Lucknow.

Press release by UP Police

After tracing their location, several teams were formed to arrest them. A team raided at the house of Minhaz, s/o Siraz Ahmed, resident of Ring Road, Bagaria, Jetta Barawan Kala, Dubbaga, Lucknow. ATS found a large quantity of explosives and a pistol from his house. ATS details Minhas from his house. Bomb Disposal Squad has been neutralising the IEDs found at his house.

Press release by UP Police

During interrogation, the arrested accused said that their associates had managed to escape. ATS teams have been searching for them across Lucknow. All entry and exit points have been barricaded by the Police, and search operations are on. The state is on high alert at the moment.

ATS is currently in the process of filing the FIR against the two detained terrorists. The Police will share more information in the coming days. ADG said if the Police found anything sharable, they will organise another Press Conference.

While ADG was interacting with media during the Press Conference, he was not happy with how the live telecast of the operation ran on several news channels. He said that Police share information on a need-to-know basis as soon as operations are over. He said, “There are guidelines that restrict everyone from telecasting live feed of operations that are of national security.” The Police will share more information if they feel it can be shared.

Copyright infringement? New packaging design of instant noodles brand Wai Wai leave netizens wondering

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Copyright infringement? New packaging design of instant noodles brand Wai Wai leave netizens wondering

On Sunday, India Today journalist Shiv Aroor took to Twitter to share an image of Wai Wai instant noodles. In his tweet, Shiv Aroor said that he recently noticed Wai Wai’s subtle new packaging.

Even though the India Today journalist did not explain what exact “subtlety” was there in the new packaging, however, social media users, who noticed his tweet, understood what he was trying to convey.

The issue was simple. Wai Wai, a Nepal-based instant noodles brand produced from CG Foods, had changed its earlier ‘green and yellow’ packaging to a new ‘yellow’ packaging of its noodles. For any ordinary individual, the colour change of Wai Wai noodles packaging is not a pressing issue. However, for some of its consumers, it was a grave error committed by manufacturers of Wai Wai.

Wai Wai noodles old packaging (L) and New packaging that has striking similarities with Nestle Maggi (R)/ Image Source: Amazon

Probably as part of its latest marketing trick, the CG Group has changed the packaging colour of its brand to exactly look like its rival brand Maggi, the market leader in the instant noodles category manufactured by Swish-Food processing giant Nestlé.

As netizens noticed the new packaging of Wai Wai noodles, they were perplexed to see the striking similarities between the two products and wondered whether the Nepalese-brand was trying to make their product exactly look like Maggi. Social media users raised several questions on whether Wai Wai’s new marketing strategy to make their product look exactly like Nestle Maggi is an act of copyright infringement.

Intellectual Property Rights attorney Navroop Singh also pointed out how the new packaging of Wai Wai noodles was a copy of Nestle Maggi. He said it is a clear case of violation of the copyright, as Wai Wai is being attempted to pass off as Maggi.

According to a few Maggi lovers, Wai Wai changed its packaging to yellow to confuse its buyers to pick Wai Wai instead of Nestle Maggi. The similar packaging of the two brands would make the buyers unintentionally pick up Wai Wai instead of Maggi, said a frequent Maggi user.

However, netizens who swear by Wai Wai noodles had a completely different point of view to share.

One user said that there was no need for the brand to do this as it has a separate fan base for itself. He also said that people search for it specifically on the supermarket racks.

Similarly, another Wai Wai consumer said that the old packaging of Wai Wai was good enough and made it stand out. He also said that he has to look carefully now at the stores so that he does not pick up Maggi instead of Wai Wai.

The change in packaging of a noodles brand has evoked a negative response on Twitter so far, with both consumers of the Wai Wai and other rival brands are complaining about the unnecessary change. At present, it is known how Nestlé is reacting to this packaging design change by its rival brand.

Canada: Amul wins trademark case, to receive ₹19.59 lakhs as damages

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Canada: Amul wins trademark case, to receive ₹19.59 lakhs as damages

India’s largest dairy brand, Amul, has been recently accorded trademark status by the Intellectual Property Appellate Board of Canada.

While speaking about the development, Amul CEO R S Sodhi tweeted, “Amul has well known Brand status all over World so no can use it in any product category. A win of 3.6 million farmers.”

Amul Dairy (also called Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers Union Limited) had filed a case with the Federal Court of Canada over trademark infringement by a group called ‘Amul Canada.’ The fraudulent group is run by four individuals, namely, Chandu Das, Akash Ghosh, Mohit Rana, and one Patel.

The accused had created a LinkedIn page by the name of ‘Amul Canada’ and had listed themselves as employees of the company. The group blatantly copied the logo, and trademark of the Indian dairy brand. At the time of writing this article, three of the accused had deleted their Linkedin profiles. They had also not responded to the legal summons, forcing Amul’s lawyers to initiate an ex-partate motion for default judgement.

Screengrab of the LinkedIn profile of Amul Canada
Screengrab of the employees of Amul Canada

Amul Dairy contended that it had neither licensed nor authorised the group ‘Amul Canada’ to use its trademark and copyrights in any manner. The Federal Court of Canada barred the defendants from permanently infringing upon Amul’s trademark and and copyrights. The Court awarded CAD 10,000 as damages for actions contrary to Trademarks Act, CAD 5000 as damages for actions contrary to Copyrights Act and CAD 17,733 to be paid by defendants. In all, Amul Dairy received a total compensation of CAD 32,733 (₹19.59 lakhs). The brand was represented by S Majumdar and Co. in India while Riches Mckenzie & Herbert LLP represented the company in Canada.

It must be mentioned that Amul’s marketing arm, Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) has been supplying Amul products to the US for the past 22 years. It has also been exporting dairy snacks, ice cream, and Amul Kool to Canada for the past 2 years. Amul is the 8 largest milk producer in the world, with an annual turnover of ₹40K crores.

While speaking about the matter, R S Sodhi said, “This was possible only because we were alert and provided the supporting documents substantiating our claims. With this, we hope such orders would deter counterfeiters, infringers, globally, before appropriating someone etse’s IPR which has been built with a lot of effort and eventually becomes an identifier for the company or even a nation.”

1...4,1534,1544,155...7,680Page 4,154 of 7,680