Calcutta High Court: Bars Somabrata Mandal From Using Fox & Mandal Name

The Calcutta High Court on Monday perpetually restrained Somabrata Mandal and his law firm from holding themselves out as being associated with the 130-year-old law firm Fox & Mandal, or from using the marks "Fox & Mandal," "Fox and Mandal," and "F&M."Justice Ravi Krishan Kapur passed a summary judgment on the issue, on a suit filed by Fox & Mandal against Somabrata Mandal and his law firm, “Fox Mandal.”“This is a fit case for summary judgment and the prayer for a decree of perpetual injunction restraining the defendant nos. 1 (Somabrata) and 2 (Fox Mandal), their men, servants, agents and assigns and other partners from holding themselves out in any manner whatsoever as being associated with the plaintiff no. 1 firm (Fox and Mandal) or the plaintiff no. 2 (LLP set up by Fox and Mandal), or claiming any legacy in the year of establishment of the plaintiff no. 1, i.e., 1896, or passing off their firm or their legal services as that of the plaintiff no. 1 or the plaintiff no. 2, and also from using the marks 'Fox & Mandal', 'Fox and Mandal' and 'F&M', is granted,” the Court ruled. Justice Ravi Krishan KapurThe case concerned the goodwill and reputation associated with the law firm Fox and Mandal/ Fox & Mandal. The firm was set up in 1896 as a partnership between an English attorney named John Kerr Fox and an Indian attorney named Gokul Chandra Mandal. The Court noted that it was perhaps the only example of an Indo-British joint venture in