Bengaluru Court Rules Kinetic Green Cannot Use Zulu Name

The Bengaluru (Commercial) Court has ruled in favour of Bajaj-owned electric scooter company Yulu in a trademark dispute. This has dealt a blow to Kinetic Green Energy in their e-scooter naming battle. The court upheld a temporary injunction, prohibiting Kinetic Green from using, selling, or advertising their "Zulu" electric n scooter under any variation that might be confused with Bajaj-owned Yulu's trademark, including "YULU," "ZULU," and "Kinetic Green Zulu."

Yulu Bikes claims that Kinetic Green's recently launched "ZULU" electric scooter is too similar to their established "YULU" brand name. They argue that the resemblance will mislead customers into believing the scooters are affiliated, potentially damaging Yulu's brand reputation.

"We've built a strong brand identity with YULU over the past few years," stated a spokesperson for Yulu Bikes. "The similarity between the names is undeniable and will likely cause confusion among consumers, especially considering Kinetic Green's recent entry into the electric scooter market."

Kinetic Green, however, maintains that their "ZULU" trademark is distinct and legally registered. They argue that the two names are different enough to avoid any misunderstanding, particularly since they target different customer segments.

Kinetic Green, on the other hand, argued that the name "Zulu" was chosen based on the founder and CEO Sulajja Firodia Motwani's nickname, with the tagline "Sulu ki Zulu" further emphasising the connection. They also pointed out their history of using four-letter names for their products and the fact that the "Zulu" trademark was registered before launch.

"We firmly believe that 'ZULU' is a unique brand name," said a representative from Kinetic Green. "Furthermore, our scooters cater to a private ownership market, separate from Yulu's rental service model. We see minimal risk of customer confusion."

This decision comes after Yulu filed a lawsuit in January 2024, alleging that the name "Zulu '' infringes on their trademark rights. Yulu argued that "Zulu '' sounds too similar to their own brand name. While an initial injunction request by Yulu was denied, they appealed to the Karnataka High Court urging the commercial court to expedite the hearing process. This was partially granted a temporary injunction in February.

Despite Kinetic Green's arguments, the court has sided with Yulu for now. The legal battle continues as the commercial court proceeds with further hearings. Both companies are expected to present additional evidence to support their claims as the trademark dispute unfolds.