'Trademark Issue, Not a Family Dispute,' Abhishek Lodha Clarifies Amid Sibling Battle

The “Lodha” brand name issue at the Bombay High Court is not a family dispute but a trademark matter filed for protecting the company’s brand and preventing consumer confusion, said Abhishek Lodha, managing director and chief executive officer of Macrotech Developers Ltd. (operates under the brand name Lodha), in a conversation with NDTV Profit.

When asked about the ongoing sibling dispute at the Bombay High Court, Lodha categorically stated, “Our family separated its ownership and management more than 10 years ago, and all agreements were well-documented and implemented. This is a very straightforward matter of ensuring that the Lodha brand, built over 40 years, remains clearly associated with our company and its credibility.”

While speaking candidly in an interview with Profit, the Macrotech MD made it clear that the fight is between the businesses and not within the family.

In the issue at hand, a Bombay High Court case was filed by Macrotech Developers Ltd., under the leadership of Abhishek Lodha, which seeks to restrict his younger brother, Abhinandan’s House of Abhinandan Lodha from using the 'Lodha' brand name in any form.

In addition to this, Macrotech also seeks compensation of Rs 5,000 crore for the damages caused by HoABL in using the same brand name.

“Whether it is my younger brother Abhinandan Lodha or any other third party, no one in the real estate space can use the Lodha name, as it creates confusion for the consumer,” he said.

As reported by NDTV Profit earlier, from 2015 to 2017, a family agreement was finalised between the Lodha brothers. The responsibilities and businesses were divided among them and the major terms were that Abhishek Lodha would retain control over the core Lodha Group real estate business, while Abhinandan Lodha was to manage a separate business, as per the high court petition reviewed by NDTV Profit.

However, the issue cropped up again due to allegations of non-compliance with the terms of the 2017 agreement, and a new 2023 agreement came into being as per the filing. The 2023 agreement explicitly prohibited Abhinandan's business from using any variation of the 'Lodha' name.

In a conversation with Profit on Monday, Abhishek Lodha mentioned, “It is clearly stated in family agreements that the IPR, copyrights, and brands, including the Lodha name, belong exclusively to Macrotech Developers. Abhinandan, or anyone else, cannot use the trademark in any manner whatsoever.”

Despite this, Macrotech Developers claims that HoABL has continued to use the name 'Lodha Ventures,' as well as other domain names linked to the brand, prompting the legal action.

When asked about the compensation amount sought in the suit, he refrained from discussing specifics.