''Tata'' name gets exclusivity

The Tatas have won an injunction against a team of four people who were using the ''Tata'' name as part of their domain name, on the internet. This group was using the domain name www.tatagroup.com. The Tata management warned the group to cease and desist from using this name. When the group refused to comply with the request, the Tata group filed a case against it in the Delhi High Court. 

The court has ordered that the four concerned parties in the case cannot use the domain name www.tatagroup.com, cannot sell it or use it for advertisements.

In another case, again with the Tata brand name, in January 1999, the Tata group had found to its dismay, that it could not use many of its group companies'' name as they were, on the net. This was because, the unique names, such as www.tatapower.com, www.tatahydro.com, www.ratantata.com,  www.jrdtata.com, www.tatapowerco.com were all reserved by one Kosuri. In a case, between Tata Sons and Manu Kosuri, the court gave an injunction in favour of Tata Sons.

The most important point in the www.tatagroup.com case is that Network Solutions Inc. of the US --  the body that registers names in the ''.com'' category of web addresses -- transferred the domain names under dispute to the Delhi High Court, and also agreed to abide by its order.

These two rulings by the court are expected to have pathbreaking consequences. Before these, there have been no significant rulings on the internet in India. The recent rulings show the direction internet governance will take in the future.