Reliance drops Op Sindoor trademark plan, calls it gaffe

Reliance Industries on Thursday withdrew its application to register Operation Sindoor as a trademark, a day after submitting the request with the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks.

In a statement, the company clarified that the application was filed "inadvertently" by a junior employee without authorisation. "Reliance Industries has no intention of trademarking Operation Sindoor, a phrase that has become a part of the national consciousness as a symbol of India’s bravery,” it said.

Notably, four applications were filed to trademark the term —one by Reliance and three others by a Mumbai resident, a retired Indian Air Force officer and a Delhi-based lawyer. The requests sought to use the phrase for entertainment-related services, including audio-video content, education and training, film and media production, live events, digital content distribution, publishing and cultural or sporting activities.

This category is typically used by OTT platforms, production houses, broadcasters and event organisers, indicating potential interest in using Operation Sindoor as a title for films, web series, documentaries or other media projects.

Reliance’s application specifically covered entertainment, publishing and language training services, as per details available on the patent office’s website.

The Mukesh Ambani-led company emphasised its pride in Operation Sindoor, which was launched in response to the Pakistan-sponsored terrorist attack in Pahalgam. “Operation Sindoor stands as a proud achievement of Indian armed forces in our nation’s unwavering fight against terrorism. Reliance fully supports the government and our armed forces in this critical battle,” the statement added.