Supreme Court grants reprieve to Amazon in ₹336 crore Beverly Hills Polo Club trademark case

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted a major reprieve to Amazon Technologies, a subsidiary of global e-commerce giant Amazon Inc., in a trademark infringement dispute with Lifestyle Equities C.V., the owner of the Beverly Hills Polo Club (BHPC) brand.

A bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan refused to lift the stay on a ₹336-crore damages award against Amazon Technologies, upholding a July order of the Delhi High Court’s division bench that had paused enforcement of the single-judge decree passed in February.

The apex court agreed that the earlier ruling suffered from serious procedural flaws. It found that Amazon Technologies was not properly served notice, resulting in the case proceeding without giving it a fair chance to defend itself. The damages were also inflated to over ₹336 crore from ₹2 crore without informing the company.

The court further noted that the single judge had wrongly treated Amazon and its related entities as one, even though Amazon Technologies was not directly involved in the alleged infringement.

“Even if it were to be presumed, merely for the sake of argument, that Amazon Technologies took a conscious decision not to participate in the suit proceedings, that cannot justify mulcting it with damages of ₹ 336 crore. The case, therefore, is one of awarding, against Amazon Tech and in favour of Lifestyle, of damages of ₹ 336 crore without any sustainable finding of infringement, or of complicity in infringement, against Amazon Tech,” the bench noted.

“In view of the aforesaid, we have reached the conclusion that we should not disturb the impugned judgment and order passed by the division bench of the high court,” the Supreme Court stated.

Trademark dispute origins

The dispute dates back to 2020, when Amsterdam-based Lifestyle Equities, which owns the BHPC brand, sued Amazon Technologies in the Delhi High Court, alleging trademark infringement.

The company and its licensee claimed exclusive rights to the BHPC logo—featuring a polo player on horseback—and alleged that identical or deceptively similar marks appeared on apparel sold under Amazon’s in-house Symbol brand and by major seller Cloudtail India on Amazon.in.

Lifestyle Equities sought a permanent injunction, delivery of infringing goods, damages of ₹2 crore, and an account of profits. Amazon Technologies, which the plaintiffs claimed was served via email and WhatsApp, did not appear, leading the court to proceed ex parte (in the absence of one party) in April 2022.

In February 2025, the single judge ruled against Amazon Technologies, awarding $38.78 million (around ₹336 crore) in damages for lost royalties and promotional expenses, along with ₹3.23 crore in costs. The order also permanently restrained Amazon and its affiliates from using the BHPC logo or similar marks.

Amazon later appealed before the Delhi High Court’s division bench, arguing that it was denied a fair hearing and was not properly served notice. It also contested the sharp escalation in damages without prior intimation.

Ruling stayed

The division bench stayed execution of the decree in July 2025, citing procedural irregularities and legal defects, and did so without requiring Amazon to deposit the amount.

Lifestyle Equities then moved the Supreme Court, seeking to vacate the stay, arguing that the high court had erred in granting it unconditionally. The top court, however, upheld the Delhi High Court’s order, allowing Amazon to avoid immediate payment of the ₹336-crore award until final disposal of the case.

India’s e-commerce market is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 21% to reach $325 billion by 2030, according to Deloitte’s 2024 report. Amazon India holds around 31% of this market by gross merchandise value, trailing rival Flipkart, which has a 35% share.