India: Advertising, Marketing & Branding

For years, businesses have watched competitors surface on the search results page the instant a customer types their brand name. The technique is simple: buy the rival’s brand as a paid-search keyword, and your sponsored link appears alongside, or above, the results the customer was actually looking for. In Hindware Ltd. v. Grohe India Pvt. Ltd. and the connected matter against Omkara Infoweb, the Delhi High Court confronted the practice directly, and held that selling a registered trademark as an advertising keyword is itself an infringing use in advertising. Just as importantly, it held that the advertising platform cannot run the keyword auction, and keep the revenue, and then disclaim responsibility as a mere intermediary.

The Delhi High Court, by its judgment dated 8 September 2026, dismissed the appeal filed by UltraTech Cement Limited (UltraTech) challenging the order of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) impleading the Builders’ Association of India (BAI) to participate in proceedings initiated by the CCI against cement manufacturers under Section 26(1) of the Competition Act, 2002 (Act).

On 9 September 2026, the Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, notified the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) (Amendment) Rules, 2026 (2026 Amendment), amending the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules 2020 (E-Commerce Rules).

On June 18, 2026, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) issued an stating that if a brand’s product label, website, or advertising uses the term ‘100%’ in any claim about composition, ingredients, or naturalness, then that claim must be literally and verifiably true.

Food-safety enforcement in India has begun to look markedly different over the past few months. Five-star hotels, restaurant chains, quick-commerce dark stores, food manufacturers, nutraceutical companies and even celebrity endorsers have come under regulatory scrutiny.

India's food safety regulator has issued a stark warning to celebrities and social media influencers: verify health and nutritional claims before promoting food products, or face potential legal consequences. As influencer advertising violations surge to over 21% of all advertising complaints, the question of accountability has moved from public backlash to formal regulatory scrutiny, with recent show-cause notices issued to major Bollywood stars.

India's Supreme Court has issued a sharp rebuke to alcohol manufacturers selling vodka and other spirits in packaging designed to mimic children's fruit juice boxes.

India's new Anti-Greenwashing Guidelines impose strict penalties up to INR 50 lakhs on manufacturers and endorsers who make unsubstantiated environmental claims like 'organic,' 'eco-friendly,' or 'sustainable' without credible certification. As global regulatory bodies increasingly crack down on misleading green marketing, businesses must audit their claims and maintain proper documentation to avoid reputational damage and financial liability.

Whether Google’s practice of allowing competitors to purchase and use the registered trademark “HINDWARE” as a keyword under its AdWords programme amounted to trademark infringement and unfair commercial exploitation of the plaintiff’s trademark