{"id":37841,"date":"2025-07-04T18:22:30","date_gmt":"2025-07-04T12:52:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kuvera.in\/blog\/?p=37841"},"modified":"2025-07-05T09:35:02","modified_gmt":"2025-07-05T04:05:02","slug":"the-weekly-wrap-captain-cool-hits-a-six-%f0%9f%8f%8f","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kuvera.in\/blog\/the-weekly-wrap-captain-cool-hits-a-six-%f0%9f%8f%8f\/","title":{"rendered":"The Weekly Wrap | Captain Cool hits a Six \ud83c\udfcf"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the former captain of the Indian cricket team, has always had a knack for staying in the spotlight, whether it\u2019s through his cricketing prowess or off-field moves. This week, he made headlines again, not for hitting sixes but for a trademark battle.<\/p>\n

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\"Dhoni\"<\/p>\n

Dhoni, known as \u201cCaptain Cool<\/strong>\u201d, didn\u2019t just let a company snap up the trademark for his iconic nickname, he filed an objection and made sure to apply to get it moved into his name. And guess what? His application has been accepted.<\/p>\n

While the registration process will take its time, it\u2019s already a step forward. But here\u2019s a twist that hasn\u2019t been widely reported\u2014one of Dhoni\u2019s associated companies has already successfully trademarked another of his nicknames,
\n\u201cMahi\u2019s\u201d, a name that\u2019s become just as popular over the years.<\/p>\n

While we\u2019re on the subject of trademarks, another name from South India is giving Google a run for its money. Google\u2019s parent company, Alphabet, has put billions of dollars into developing its AI platform \u201cGemini\u201d, which they\u2019re hoping will be the next big thing in the tech world. The issue? There\u2019s already a \u201cGemini TV\u201d, owned by the Maran family\u2019s Sun TV.<\/p>\n

Naming businesses after zodiac signs is quite common in India, so Google\u2019s \u201cGemini\u201d wasn\u2019t the first to pop up. Google argues that its Gemini platform is in a completely different field than the TV channel. However, the trademark game in India doesn\u2019t work that way. It\u2019s usually \u201cfirst come, first served\u201d.<\/p>\n

So, if you\u2019re quick enough, your name might just be yours\u2014until someone else snatches it! It looks like Google will need to get creative if it wants to secure its AI trademark in India.<\/p>\n

But it gets even more interesting. Google isn\u2019t the only one caught in the trademark chaos. Other AI platforms like DeepSeek, Grok, and ChatGPT have already been claimed by others.<\/p>\n

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\"SIP_Kuvera\"<\/b><\/p>\n

According to reports, a Bengaluru-based company has raised an objection to ChatGPT\u2019s trademark, claiming prior use of the same name for its education programme before ChatGPT became a household name in India.<\/p>\n

In a similar twist, \u201cGrok\u201d is already registered in India by another foreign company, Numneta Inc. Things get even curiouser with \u201cDeepSeek\u201d. The term, and its variations, is now being sought by three different entities. Kuldeep Bhikhabhai Butani has applied for \u201cDEEP SEEK\u201d, while Sonal Patel is after \u201cDEEPSEEK\u201d. And Hangzhou Deepseek Artificial Intelligence is also in the running. All three applications are still pending, adding to the intrigue of this trademark tussle.<\/p>\n

While artificial intelligence is causing a ruckus worldwide about stealing jobs, in India, it still has to figure out how to get a foot in the game of names. It seems like before it starts replacing workers, it needs to learn how to compete for trademarks!<\/p>\n

Coming back to Dhoni, what about \u201cThala\u201d? This is the sobriquet he earned during his time with the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. \u201cThala\u201d means \u2018leader\u2019 in Tamil, and while it\u2019s already trademarked in other categories, it hasn\u2019t been claimed under sports or anything related to cricket yet. Will Dhoni file to get that under his name as well? Knowing Dhoni, it’s likely. We\u2019ll have to wait and see if he takes a swing at \u201cThala\u201d, too.<\/p>\n

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tl;dr<\/strong>\u00a0Hear the article in brief instead?<\/span><\/p>\n\n

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Foot in the Mouth<\/h3>\n

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Whether these applications were intentional or pure coincidence is still up in the air. However, what seems to be more by design\u2014and very much about design\u2014are two incidents involving foreign companies. One has been accused of ripping off Indian designs while the other claims their designs were copied in India.<\/p>\n

\"Prada\"<\/p>\n

First up is Prada. The Italian luxury brand showcased a pair of humble footwear at a fashion show. Nothing too surprising, except that these looked eerily similar to India\u2019s Kolhapuri chappals. After an uproar, Prada admitted that the design indeed had an Indian link, or \u201cinspired by traditional Indian handcrafted footwear\u201d as the company put it.<\/p>\n

If it weren\u2019t for the outrage, those chappals, which cost only a few bucks, would\u2019ve been sold for hundreds of dollars in the global market. Kolhapuri chappals have the umbrella of GI tags (Geographical Indication), but experts say Prada could\u2019ve gotten away with it unless they used the word \u201cKolhapuri\u201d.<\/p>\n

A GI tag signifies that a product comes from a specific region and has characteristics or a reputation directly linked to that location. This could be agricultural products like Darjeeling tea, foodstuff like Bikaneri Bhujia, handicraft like Kanchipuram silk sarees, or industrial products like Madurai Sungudi. So, Buta bhujia that looks or tastes like Bikaneri Bhujia can still be sold as long as it is not being made or sold in the garb of Bikaneri Bhujia.<\/p>\n

As Prada tried to pass off the chappals as Kolhapuri, it would have been difficult to sue. In the end though, the real winners seem to be the artisans, as many e-commerce websites have reported a jump in Kolhapuri chappal sales since the controversy.<\/p>\n

The second matter is also about footwear, by co-incidence surely, not design. US footwear giant Crocs has been fuming over the alleged copying of its iconic clog-style footwear in India.<\/p>\n

After nearly a decade of fighting, the US company is finally getting some traction, with the Delhi High Court agreeing to hear its case, which was initially dismissed in 2019. Crocs has accused six companies including Bata, Liberty and Relaxo of copying and selling its famous design. In its defence, Liberty has reportedly claimed that the Crocs did not invent the design but merely adopted it. Hence, there is no case of copying, Liberty says. Let\u2019s see how this dispute ends!<\/p>\n

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\u201cUnlawful Gains\u201d<\/h3>\n

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Moving on to market news, for the past several months the Securities and Exchange Board of India has been tightening the screws on futures and options trading that it says disproportionately hurt retail investors and benefitted large brokers and institutional traders that use algos. This week, it took another big step to level the playing field.<\/p>\n

The capital markets regulator on Thursday barred US trading company Jane Street from accessing the securities market. The decision followed a probe into its alleged market manipulation via positions taken in equities derivatives.<\/p>\n

In an interim order, SEBI said Jane Street and its related entities won\u2019t be able to participate in the stock market and can\u2019t buy or sell securities, directly or indirectly. Further, SEBI will monitor Jane Street’s activity on existing positions until it completes its investigation.<\/p>\n

SEBI also said it will impound Rs 4,840 crore from Jane Street. This, SEBI said, were \u201cunlawful gains\u201d earned from the alleged misconduct.<\/p>\n

On its part, Jane Street disputed the findings of the SEBI order and said it operates in compliance with all regulations in the regions it operates around the world.<\/p>\n

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Booser Dose<\/h3>\n

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Switching to corporate developments, Ahmedabad-based Torrent Pharmaceuticals made its biggest bet this week as it struck a deal to acquire smaller peer JB Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals New York-based buyout firm KKR.<\/p>\n

\"Torrent<\/p>\n

Torrent will acquire a 46.39% stake in JB Chemicals from KKR for Rs 11,917 crore. It has also launched a mandatory open offer to buy up to 26% more of JB Pharma from public shareholders. Overall, the transaction values JB Chemicals around Rs 25,689 crore, or $3 billion. Eventually, Torrent wants to merge JB Chemicals with itself. Under the merger terms, Torrent will issue 51 of its shares to JB Pharma shareholders for every 100 shares held.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t the first time Torrent Pharma has bought a company to expand its business. The list of its acquisitions goes back at least two decades. In 2005, it bought Heumann Pharma from Pfizer to enter the German market. It acquired Elder Pharma\u2019s Indian branded business in 2014, the dermaceutical business of Zyg Pharma in 2015, and a manufacturing plant from Glochem Industries in 2016. The following year, it bought women healthcare brands from Novartis and Unichem’s Indian branded business. This was followed by the acquisition of Curatio in 2022.<\/p>\n

So, how does this acquisition benefit Torrent? Well, for one, it will strengthen its presence in the Indian pharma market and build a larger diversified global presence.<\/p>\n

Unlike many drugmakers, which derive most of their sales from international markets, Torrent\u2019s biggest market by revenue is India. Torrent offers drugs used to treat cancer, infections and diabetes. On the other hand, JB Chemicals is strong in segments such as gastrointestinal medicines and chronic conditions such as hypertension.<\/p>\n

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\"FD_Kuvera\"<\/p>\n

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Market Wrap<\/b><\/h3>\n

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India\u2019s stock markets reversed course this week with the benchmark indices oscillating between gains and losses amid
\nuncertainty over the potential India-US trade deal ahead of the July 9 deadline.<\/p>\n

The Sensex and the Nifty fell 0.7% each this week, after clocking a 2% rise last week. The mid-cap index eked out a 0.5% gain while the small-caps inched 0.3% higher. Among sectoral indices, seven of the 13 dropped this week. Market breadth was negative with 29 of the 50 Nifty stocks and 19 of the 30 Sensex companies ending in the red this week. Among Nifty stocks, Tata-owned retailer Trent was the top loser, plunging nearly 9%, after forecasting growth that fell short of investor expectations.<\/p>\n

Financial stocks, which had risen last week, slipped this week with Axis Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank and Shriram Finance as well as the Bajaj twins\u2014Bajaj Finserv and Bajaj Finance\u2014ending in the red.<\/p>\n

IT stocks were mixed; Tech Mahindra and TCS fell but Infosys, Wipro and HCL Tech gained. FMCG stocks were largely down\u2014Nestle, Tata Consumer and ITC slipped. But Hindustan Unilever managed to stay in the green.<\/p>\n

Apollo Hospitals was the top Nifty gainer after saying it planned to list its digital health and pharmacy unit in the next 18 to 21 months.<\/p>\n

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Other Headlines<\/h3>\n

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