New Delhi, July 4 -- India's copycat economy is coming under pressure as global brands are starting to fight back. On Tuesday the Delhi High Court revived a long-pending lawsuit by American shoemaker Crocs Inc. against brands such as Bata, Liberty and Relaxo for copying its signature clog shoe design. The case, filed in 2014, had been pending for years before the court revived it this week.

While the Crocs suit targets physical retailers, the copycat challenge for global brands has also moved online. Lookalike products that were once confined to local markets or grey channels are easily available on major e-commerce platforms. Some of these copies fall into the category of "dupes", which imitate the style of high-end products without log...