Delhi High Court directs Ghadi detergent to remove phrases disparaging Surf Excel from its ads

In a case of comparative advertising, the Delhi High Court has directed the makers of Ghadi detergent to remove certain phrases from their advertisements that were found to be disparaging towards their competitor, Surf Excel, which is a brand owned by Hindustan Unilever. HUL had filed a lawsuit arguing that Ghadi's ad campaign was unfairly targeting and belittling its product. The court, after reviewing the ads, likely found that they went beyond permissible comparative advertising and crossed the line into trade libel or disparagement. The court's order to remove the specific phrases is aimed at ensuring that while companies can compare their products with those of their rivals, they cannot do so in a manner that is malicious, misleading, or brings the competitor's product into disrepute.