SC Upholds Exide's Red Battery Trade Dress, Restrains Amara Raja from Fresh Manufacturing

The Supreme Court has upheld interim orders protecting Exide Industries' distinctive red-coloured battery packaging, directing competitor Amara Raja Energy & Mobility to stop fresh manufacturing and sale of its red-coloured Elito batteries and restraining it from promoting the product on any media platform.

Exide Industries welcomed the order on Wednesday, June 3, as the apex court had affirmed the position taken by both the single bench and the Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court, which had earlier ruled in its favour.

The dispute arose after Amara Raja, which has sold its products in a predominantly green colour since its inception, launched a battery under the brand name Elito with a predominantly red trade dress, including a red and white colour combination.

Exide, which holds trademark registrations for "EL" and a "shattered O device", reportedly said Amara Raja's Elito batteries not only carried a predominantly red trade dress but also bore the words "EL" and a "shattered O device", elements strikingly similar to its own registered trademarks. The company also flagged that Amara Raja was promoting the product through its website and social media platforms.

The Calcutta High Court's single bench passed an interim order restraining Amara Raja from manufacturing or selling any battery in red colour or in packaging similar to Exide's products. The Division Bench upheld this in an order dated April 2, 2026.

What the Supreme Court Ordered

The Supreme Court directed that Amara Raja's channel partners may only sell red-coloured Elito products already in the market and manufactured before the Division Bench's April 2 order. Unsold stock with distributors, franchises, and retailers is to be sold by a third party, while batteries in Amara Raja's possession resembling Exide's trade dress must be repackaged in non-red packaging. Empty cartons similar to Exide's packaging are to be destroyed.

According to Informist, Amara Raja's unsold stock with distributors and franchises was valued at ₹249.90 million, while stock with retailers was estimated at ₹156 million. Amara Raja has 20,789 units of batteries similar in trade dress to Exide, valued at ₹26.30 million. The apex court noted that Amara Raja had not produced red-coloured batteries after April 2.