India, Feb. 11 -- The Delhi high court ruled last week that late industrialist Ratan Tata, who was at the helm of Tata Group companies for decades, is a well-known figure and his trademark must be protected.

The court was hearing a petition filed by Tata Group and Sir Ratan Tata Trust and observed that it is "manifest that the name of late Shri Ratan Tata is a well-known personal name/mark, which needs to be protected from any unauthorised use by any third party".

Tata Group and the trust have also sought damages worth over Rs.2 crore for allegedly causing harm to their reputation and goodwill. According to the lawsuit, Srivastava chose to continue advertising and publishing an unauthorised event and award despite being notified.

The c...