The CAIT (Confederation of All India Traders) asked Bollywood Actor Salman Khan to drop ‘Khan Market’ from his proposed shopping portal, seeking a protection of brand name of the market which is designed as the most expensive retail location in India.
In a statement issued by CAIT, it said “CAIT has shot up a communication to actor Salman Khan today (Sunday) urging him to withdraw the name of Khan Market from his web portal ‘khanmarketonline.com’ which he has announced on his birthday on December 27, 2015.”
The market was established back in 1951, ranked 24th most expensive retail location worldwide, in a report published last month by Cushman & Wakefield – a global real estate services.
Praveen Khandelwal, General Secretary, CAIT said “The name chosen by Salman Khan is more deceptive and infringes the rights of traders of Khan Market.” He further added that “We will not allow anyone to encroach upon the goodwill earned by traders for the market in the last 65 years.”
Traders of CAIT acclaims that products sold on ‘Khanmarketonline’ would construed with that of things sold by traders of actual and physical market, which will lead to confusion and misunderstanding among customers.
Sales discounts that Salman Khan may offer on products may lead to confusion and embarrassing situations for traders and consumers, the statement added.
Describing Khan Market itself as a brand, CAIT said: “A name by custom/practice/usage over a long period of time by a group of persons becomes an intellectual property right of that group of persons is an integral part of principle of natural justice. Accordingly, the first lien of using the name ‘Khan Market’ lies with traders of Khan Market only.”
