Bombay HC restraints Apollo Tyres’ ad ridiculing CEAT

On September 12, the Bombay High Court passed an injunction against Apollo Tyres preventing it from airing an advertisement which “denigrates and disparages” CEAT. 

The advertisement showed the tyres of two Mahindra Thar SUVs, one in black and one in maroon, speaking to each other. The black Thar’s tyres are shown to be worn out and it laments to the maroon one saying: “SEE-IT, SEE-IT !…..road ne toh ghis di yaar….meri grip.” The maroon-coloured Thar’s tyres are shown as Apollo APTERRA AT2 which are in excellent condition.

The ”SEE-IT” CEAT noted was phonetically similar to its name as used in the ad.

Through the conversation between rival tyres in the ad, the court noted that the “Advertisement does in fact unfairly seeks to compare the Plaintiff’s worn out tyre with the Defendant’s brand new tyre and the basic premise of the impugned advertisement is to denigrate and slander the Plaintiff’s said CROSSDRIVE AT tyre.”

The plaintiff stated that from the advertisement campaigns undertaken by the Defendant on various online platforms, viz. YouTube, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, a message is sought to be conveyed to the purchasers that the Plaintiff’s CEAT all terrain tyres are of inferior and sub-standard quality; are inferior to the Defendant’s APOLLO APTERRA AT2 tyre and are to be discarded. It is stated that the Plaintiff’s CEAT all terrain tyres have been rubbished and made to show in poor light in the said advertisement.

The court has adjourned the matter for a detailed hearing on October 11.