SC Directs Matrimony.com & Jodi365 To Explore Settlement In Trademark Dispute

In the five year old trademark infringement case between Matrimony.com and Jodi365 operator Free Elective Network Pvt Ltd., the Supreme Court (SC) has reportedly directed the two parties to explore a settlement.

As per Bar and Bench, the SC expressed its “disinclination” towards entertaining a plea filed by Matrimony.com, which has challenged the recent Madras High Court (HC) ruling restraining it from using the ‘Jodii’ trademark for its matchmaking app.

During the hearing, Matrimony.com reportedly offered to rename its app as “Jodi Matrimony” to avoid shutting down the business and impacting its existing users. In response, an SC bench, comprising Justice PS Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe, directed the two parties to discuss the proposal for a settlement.
`
However, the Court noted that it would consider the matter again if the two companies are unable to arrive at a consensus.

Arguing before the SC bench, Matrimony’s counsel, Amit Sibal, reportedly contended that Free Elective’s trademark for “Jodi”pertained to classes 35, 38 and 41, which relate to advertising, telecommunications and education services. Sibal added that the Jodi365 operator did not have a trademark registration under Class 45, which covers matrimonial and matchmaking services.

He also reportedly argued that the trademark ‘Jodi’ could not be monopolised as the word is descriptive of matchmaking and means a “couple or a pair” in several Indian languages. Simultaneously, the listed platform also told the Court that it would not press its pending application to register ‘Jodi’ as a standalone trademark

In retort, senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for Free Elective, underlined that the company was using “Jodi365” continuously since 2009. He also said that the platform had approached the Madras HC within months of Matrimony.com launching “Jodii”.

After hearing the two sides, the SC reportedly observed that there appeared no need to interfere with the HC’s ruling on the matter and directed the two parties to settle their disputes out of court. However, Sibal informed the court that a settlement would not be possible if the SC dismissed Matrimony.com’s plea.

In response, the SC agreed to keep the plea pending while the two parties explore a settlement.

The Bone Of Contention

The dispute traces its origins back to 2021, when Matrimony.com launched a Tamil-focused matchmaking app under the brand name Jodii. Right after, Free Elective Network filed a suit for injunction and other reliefs before the Madras HC. It also sought ₹1 Cr in damages and the costs related to the lawsuit.

In its petition before the HC, Jodi365 contended that Matrimony.com’s “Jodii” was deceptively similar to its “Jodi365” mark and could potentially cause confusion among users seeking its matrimonial services.

Subsequently, in July 2022, a single judge bench of the Madras HC, comprising Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy, dismissed Jodi365’s lawsuit. The HC observed that the word “Jodi” itself is a common, descriptive word in the matrimonial context, and did not belong exclusively to Free Elective.

The single-judge bench also noted that Freeelective owned trademarks for the composite mark “Jodi365” as a whole, and not for the word “Jodi” alone. As a result, the bench, in a July 2022 ruling, effectively ruled in favour of Matrimony.com and allowed the listed platform to continue using “Jodii” as a trademark for its platform. It also ruled that Free Elective was not entitled to monetary compensation.

Thereafter, the Jodi365 parent appealed the order before a division bench of Madras HC. In August 2026, the two-judge bench, comprising Justice P Velmurugan and Justice K Govindarajan Thilakavadi, set aside the 2022 order in part and ruled in favour of Jodi365.

The divisional bench also granted a permanent injunction that restrained Matrimony.com from using the “Jodii” mark for its matchmaking app and related services. However, the HC declined to award the ₹1 Cr in damages that Free Elective had sought.

It is this divisional bench order that Matrimony.com is now mulling challenging before the SC.

The post SC Directs Matrimony.com & Jodi365 To Explore Settlement In Trademark Dispute appeared first on Inc42 Media.