Court restrains management school from using ISEED trademark

A Gurgaon court has issued an interim order restraining a management institute there from using its name and acronym ‘ISEED’, noting it is deceptively similar to the name of another business school, iSEED.

Additional District Judge (ADJ) JB Gupta restrained the International School of Entrepreneurship Education and Development from using its name and acronym ‘ISEED’ on the plea of Harshwardhan Mishra, an academician and former professor of Gurgaon-based Management Development Institute.

Mishra, who runs the management school Indian School for Entrepreneurs and Enterprise Development (iSEED), has alleged that International School of Entrepreneurship Education and Development and its owners have breached his intellectual property right and trademarks.

ADJ Gupta passed an ex-parte interim injunction barring ’ISEED’ and its patrons from using its name and acronym as no one appeared on behalf of the defendant institute (ISEED) despite summons being issued to it and its owners.

The court has restrained ISEED from using the name International School of Entrepreneurship, as well as the assets and infrastructure of Mishra’s institute, till the next date of hearing scheduled for May 24.

ISEED has also been barred from using its websites.

Mishra, a former professor at State University of New York, had alleged that some of his business partners in his educational venture aimed at setting up a pioneering institute to train aspiring entrepreneurs on how to start a business venture, had run away with his original ideas on the matter and started their own school.

Mishra, represented by advocate Sagar Saxena, has alleged he had discussed the idea to set up a management institute with Sanjeeva Shivesh, who used to run a school for training business executives, and his close associates.

Shivesh, impressed with his idea, had encouraged his associates to invest in the same, Mishra said in his plea.

After setting up the institute with Mishra, Shivesh and his associates had later left it on the grounds that the company/school was in poor financial health, it said.

Mishra also alleged, in his petition, that after leaving his institute, Shivesh and others started ISEED using the assets and database of his school/company.

He has contended that he has applied for registration of the trademark ‘iSEED’ and the trade name ‘Indian School for Entrepreneurs and Enterprise Development’ as well as his vision document on setting up the institute and the same are pending before the Registrar of Trade Marks.

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