Delhi High Court Issues Notice To BCCI On Plea Against Robotic Dog 'Champak'

The Delhi High Court has issued a notice to the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India), seeking response on a plea filed by a renowned children's magazine 'Champak'.

The said magazine alleged trademark infringement over the IPL (Indian Premier League) naming its AI (Artificial Intelligence) robot dog 'Champak'.

A Single Bench of Justice Saurabh Banerjee observed that 'Champak' had been an existing brand name since eternity and asked the BCCI to file its written statement in response to the plea within a period of four weeks.

The plea was filed by Delhi Press Patra Prakashan Pvt. Ltd. which has been publishing Champak magazine since the year 1968.

Advocate Amit Gupta appeared for the publisher while Senior Advocate J. Sai Deepak appeared for the BCCI.

The counsel for the publisher contended that naming the robotic dog 'Champak' amounted to infringement of its registered trademark and also commercial exploitation as Champak was a well known mark. On the other hand, the senior counsel for the BCCI argued that Champak was the name of a flower and people associated the robotic dog with a character of a TV series and not the magazine.

During the hearing, the Judge orally said that cricketer Virat Kohli's nickname is 'Chiku', which is also one of the characters in Champak magazine. He asked, "Why did the publisher not proceed against him?"

The Court asked as to how the averment of infringement is made out, to which the counsel said that the IPL is a commercial venture and is advertising, marketing, and earning.

Accordingly, the High Court listed the case for further hearing on July 9, 2025.

Cause Title- Delhi Press Patra Prakashan Private Limited v. Board of Control for Cricket in India & Anr. (Case Number: CS(COMM) 395/2025)

With PTI Inputs