Hero-Avon design war reaches court

Mohit Khanna

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, May 15

Two bicycle industry giants are headed for a bitter legal battle on the issue of infringement of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). Leading manufacturer Hero Cycles Limited has filed a suit against Avon Cycles, alleging piracy of its registered design. 

The suit was filed a month after Hero Cycles issued a notice to Avon, cautioning it against IPR violation practices, stated a communiqué. The case pertains to Hero Cycles’ product Hero RX-1 the design of which is registered under the Designs Act, 2000 (No 270519).

The communiqué stated that the design was well-known and enjoyed unparalleled reputation in the market. It further stated that Avon Cycles’ product  X-Track was identical to the registered design of Hero Cycles’ RX- I, clearly an infringement of the Intellectual Property Rights.

The chief  managing-director of Avon Cycles, Omkar Singh Pahwa, was not available for comment. His son Rishi Pahwa termed the filing of the case as “unfortunate”.

Claiming the move was against business ethics, Rishi said: “After we received the notice, we arranged a meeting with Hero Cycles. They had some objection regarding the X-Track model. We agreed to make changes and sought time till April 30 to clear our stocks. We remained in touch with their officials. Shockingly, the legal notice was served on the company when my father was away to Shanghai in China. The next hearing is on May 31 and we will give a reply. On infringement of IPR, I would say that the cycle will remain a cycle at the end of the day.”