Reliance retracts ‘Operation Sindoor’ trademark application

Mukesh Ambani-led conglomerate Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) On Thursday withdrew a trademark application for “Operation Sindoor,” calling it a symbol of Indian bravery.

The application for trademark was sent by a “junior person without authorization,” the company said in a statement.

RIL was among the first to rush to the trademark office to stake claim to the term just hours after India launched its cross-border military action under the name Operation Sindoor.

On Thursday, the conglomerate said, “Jio Studios, a unit of Reliance Industries, has withdrawn its trademark application, which was filed inadvertently by a junior person without authorization.”

The media statement read, “Reliance Industries has no intention of trademarking Operation Sindoor, a phrase which is now part of the national consciousness as an evocative symbol of Indian bravery.”

On 7 May, four separate trademark filings were made for “Operation Sindoor” under Class 41 of the Nice Classification, which covers media, entertainment, education, and cultural services.

RIL’s application was filed at 10:42 am under Class 41 (trademark pertaining to education, providing training, entertainment, sporting, and cultural activities), The Economic Times reported.

“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. Operation Sindoor is the proud achievement of our brave Armed Forces in India’s uncompromising fight against the evil of terrorism,” the statement said.

A trademark allows its owner to have monopoly rights over a movie name or a TV series. Section 11 of the Trademark Act says that the first to use or file for registration of a trademark is the one who gets it.