New Delhi, Sept 07: Stung by its brand name being robbed by local firms, home appliances major Whirlpool, equipped with a Delhi High Court order, raided the premises of two such units and seized spurious spare parts worth Rs 10 lakh. The raid was conducted at the premises of city-based Soni Refrigeration and Pal Refrigeration on the order of Justice O P Dwivedi who in an ex-parte interim order had restrained the two firms from manufacturing and marketing the spare parts under the brand name "Whirlpool", holding that it was the registered trade mark of the reputed company.
The raid was carried out by the court-appointed local commissioners who, according to the company, seized a large cache of spurious parts including relay and olips, two important components of a refrigerator.
While seeking injunction against local manufacturers, the company had said they adopted its brand name and design to pass off their goods as those of Whirlpool. Accepting the contention of whirlpool, the court said that on the basis of the documents and records, it was satisfied that the company has prima facie made out that the local firms have adopted its trade mark which is deceptively similar and delay in restraining the two would defeat the purpose of injunction. Meanwhile, the company in a statement said it has come across a racket in the city, which involves manufacturing and marketing spurious refrigerator spare parts by infringing the brand name "Whirlpool" to cheat the consumers. Bureau Report