Background
MakeMyTrip, one of India’s largest online travel companies, launched its “MyBiz” platform for corporate travel booking in 2017. Since then, MakeMyTrip has invested over ₹361 crore (approximately $43 million) promoting the MyBiz brand, which has generated ₹13,688 crore (approximately $1.6 billion) in cumulative turnover. The MyBiz platform is a core part of MakeMyTrip’s business-to-business travel management offering.
EaseMyBiz Technologies LLP, a courier and logistics company, adopted the “EaseMyBiz” name in April 2025 and applied for trademark registration on a “proposed to be used” basis. Its mobile application was still under development and its website had not yet gone live when MakeMyTrip filed suit, alleging trademark infringement and passing off based on the confusing similarity between “MyBiz” and “EaseMyBiz.”
The Court’s Holding
Justice Gedela granted MakeMyTrip’s application for interim relief, finding that the plaintiff had established a prima facie case of deceptive similarity. The court noted the dominant shared element — “MyBiz” — and the likelihood that consumers encountering “EaseMyBiz” would associate it with MakeMyTrip’s well-established brand.
The court characterized EaseMyBiz as an “enlightened copycat,” observing that the defendant adopted its mark well after MakeMyTrip had built substantial goodwill in the “MyBiz” name. The fact that EaseMyBiz operates in courier services rather than travel did not save it from the injunction, as MakeMyTrip’s brand recognition extends broadly across India’s digital commerce landscape.
“It appears to the court that it would be just to direct the defendant to refrain from launching this app,” the court stated, while clarifying that the restraint applies only to the digital rollout — EaseMyBiz’s underlying courier business operations are not halted.
Key Takeaways
- Indian courts will protect well-known brand elements even when the alleged infringer operates in a completely different industry — here, courier services versus travel booking.
- Adopting a mark that incorporates the dominant portion of a well-known brand (“MyBiz”) is risky, regardless of the prefix or context added.
- The timing of trademark adoption matters: EaseMyBiz’s 2025 filing came years after MakeMyTrip established the MyBiz brand in 2017, undermining any claim of independent creation.
Why It Matters
This ruling reinforces a trend in Indian trademark law where courts are willing to issue pre-launch injunctions — blocking a brand before it even enters the market — when the risk of consumer confusion is clear. For businesses planning to launch new brands in India, the case is a reminder that trademark clearance searches must go beyond direct competitors to include well-known marks in adjacent industries. The next hearing is scheduled for September 3, 2026.