Indian Court Slaps Amazon With $39M Fine
NEW DELHI — An Indian court ordered Amazon to pay $39 million in damages on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. The ruling came after Amazon infringed the “Beverly Hills Polo Club” trademark by selling knockoff apparel on its India website. The Delhi High Court made the call in a case filed by Lifestyle Equities, the trademark’s owner.
The trouble started in 2020 when Lifestyle Equities sued Amazon. They claimed Amazon Technologies sold cheap clothes with a logo nearly identical to their “Beverly Hills Polo Club” horse emblem. The court agreed, pointing to T-shirts with logos “hardly distinguishable” from the real deal. This isn’t Amazon’s first brush with trademark woes—it faced similar claims in London in 2019 and lost an appeal in the U.K. last year.
Indian lawyers hailed the decision as a game-changer. The $39 million penalty is one of the biggest ever against a U.S. company in an Indian trademark case. Amazon denied wrongdoing, but spokespeople in the U.S. and India stayed silent when asked for comment. The court also issued a permanent ban on Amazon using the disputed logo. “This is likely the highest damages sum awarded in a trademark suit in India,” said Aditya Gupta, a partner at Ira Law.
The ruling adds to Amazon’s headaches in India. A 2021 Reuters investigation found the company pushed knockoffs to boost its own brands. Plus, an antitrust probe accused Amazon of favoring certain sellers—charges it denies. Now, eyes are on how U.S. courts will enforce this hefty Indian judgment.
This case could shake up online marketplaces. It signals tougher days for e-commerce giants flouting trademark rules in India. Next steps? Amazon might appeal or face pressure to settle. Either way, it’s a wake-up call for tighter compliance.