KSRTC trademark belongs to Kerala, Karnataka loses legal battle

The abbreviation 'KSRTC' will now exclusively belong to the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation.

The Central Trade Marks Registry announced its final verdict on Wednesday bringing an end to the seven-year-old legal battle between the transport departments of Kerala and Karnataka. Kerala also secured ownership of the popular nickname of the bus service 'Aanavandi'.

The issue began when Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation began using the five-letter short form on their buses. The fact that Karnataka bus details appeared when the abbreviation KSRTC was used in the search option online also posed difficulties for KSRTC users in Kerala.

The name evolved itself into a brand in both the states with thousands of people depending on these public transport systems for their daily commute.

However, a legal war began in 2014 when Karnataka issued a notice to Kerala against the use of 'KSRTC', claiming that they had secured the trademark on it. Kerala approached the Trade Marks Registry, saying they were the first to use the brand 'KSRTC' on their buses.

The public transport system was started in Kerala by the Travancore family, during the British era in 1937. The Travancore State Transport Department (TSTD) later became the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation in 1965. Karnataka began using the abbreviation of KSRTC only in 1973.

KSRTC MD and Kerala Transport Secretary Biju Prabhakar said a notice would now be sent to Karnataka Transport Corporation, asking them to stop using the brand name on their buses.