Karnataka not prohibited from using KSRTC logo, says corporation MD

Bengaluru: A day after Kerala claiming legal battle to use KSRTC trademark, logo of two elephants and the name "Ana Vandi", Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation on Friday clarified that there was no legal prohibition against the use of the trademark 'KSRTC'.

On Wednesday, Kerala Transport Minister Antony Raju stated that Kerala state had received an order from the registrar of trademarks holding that KSRTC could be used only by Kerala from now.

Reacting to this, Shivayogi C.Kalasad, KSRTC Managing Director, released a statement stating that these reports were factually incorrect. "We have not received any such notice or order from the Central Trade Mark Registry as claimed until today. No final orders have also been passed on the said appeals. In the meanwhile, Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) was abolished by an Ordinance of the Central Government dated 4.04.2021 and all such pending applications will be transferred to the High Court for adjudication. So as on date, KSRTC's registration of the marks continue to be legally in force and the claim of Kerala SRTC in news-reports that Karnataka state cannot use the trademarks is factually incorrect and legally untenable."

For the past seven years, the Kerala RTC and the Karnataka State Transport Corporation have been battling over the acronym "KSRTC". KSRTC is still used by both RTC buses and websites.

The judgment is likely to clear up passenger misunderstanding over which is the real KSRTC. The battle over 'KSRTC' began in 2014 when Karnataka RTC applied for trademark registration.

"As such, there is no legal prohibition against the use of the trademark 'KSRTC" by Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation. The news report in the media states that KeralavSRTC intends to issue a notice to KSRTC/Karnataka. If and when such a notice is issued, a suitable reply would be issued.

We are currently consulting our lawyers to take effective legal steps to protect our rights. In the meanwhile, it is requested to restrain from publishing any such unverified and 'incorrect reports' with legally untenable claims, as reportedly stated by Kerala SRTC. We reserve our right to legally defend our claim," the statement by the KSRTC Managing Director further said.