‘Operation Sindoor' displayed on the screen during a press briefing after the Pahalgam terror attack, at the National Media Centre in New Delhi on Wednesday, reliance industries
Co said it respects the significance, has no intention to claim rights, as it symbolises Indian bravery
THE ECONOMIC TIMES (May 9, 2025)

Mumbai: Reliance Industries (RIL) has decided to withdraw its application for trademarking the phrase ‘Operation Sindoor’, the company said on Thursday, a day after it made the filing.

RIL was among four applicants that made separate filings with the trademark registry on Wednesday to own trademark rights over the phrase, after the government announced hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir under ‘Operation Sindoor’.

RIL and the others — Mukesh Chetram Agrawal, retired Group Captain Kamal Singh Oberh and Alok Kothari — filed the application for trademark under Class 41.

Class 41 covers services related to education, entertainment, sports and cultural activities, said Ashish Pyasi, partner at law firm Aendri Legal. Registration under this section helps organizations working in these areas to protect their brand and sometimes their work.

“Reliance Industries has no intention of trademarking Operation Sindoor, a phrase which is now a part of the national consciousness as an evocative symbol of Indian bravery,” the company said in a news release. “Jio Studios, a unit of Reliance Industries, has withdrawn its trademark application, which was filed inadvertently by a junior person without authorization,” it added.

 Reliance Industries and all its stakeholders are incredibly proud of Operation Sindoor, which came about in response to a Pakistan-sponsored terrorist attack in Pahalgam, it said. “Operation Sindoor is the proud achievement of our brave armed forces in India’s uncompromising fight against the evil of terrorism,” the company said.

Application sparked public Media houses often register such titles to restrain others from making movies or other programmes with an identical or similar title, said Rahul Dhote, partner at law firm ANM Global.

“Titles based on similar events like ‘Balakot: Surgical Strikes 2’, ‘Pulwama: Surgical Strikes 2’, Pahalgam Files’, ‘Operation Safed Sagar’ and ‘Operation Khukri’, have been either applied for or registered,” Dhote said. “Having said that, such applications pass through a rigorous examination process and are also rejected if they do not fit within the parameters of conditions for grant, including their distinctiveness,” he added.