Delhi High Court Rejects Freebit's Appeal in Earphone Design Dispute

Delhi High Court Rejects Freebit's Appeal in Earphone Design Dispute

The Delhi High Court has dismissed an appeal filed by Norwegian company Freebit AS, which sought protection from alleged infringement of its patent on the "C" shaped earphone interface design by Indian manufacturer Boult.

A division bench of Justices Vibhu Bakhru and Tara Vitasta Ganju upheld the decision of a single judge who had previously refused to grant an injunction against Boult meant to prevent them from making earphones with a similar design.

The Court acknowledged that Freebit's patent applications for the "C" shaped design had been rejected in various countries, including instances of invalidation. Based on this observation, the judges concluded that the single judge's decision not to grant an injunction was justified and not an arbitrary or unlawful exercise of discretion.

“In the present case, we are unable to accept that the learned Single Judge’s exercise of discretion in declining the interim relief is arbitrary, or in ignorance of settled principles of law. Thus, no interference in the impugned judgment is warranted. The appeal is unmerited and, accordingly, dismissed. All pending applications are also disposed of,” the Court ruled.

Freebit had argued that they were pioneers in developing the "C" shaped design, specifically for earphones intended for extended use. They accused Boult, which manufactures electronics under the brand name "Boult," of infringing on their patent.

The single judge had dismissed Freebit's claim, citing two key reasons. Firstly, the Court found that Freebit had not approached the court with "clean hands," as they had provided inaccurate information regarding the status of their patent applications in various jurisdictions, suggesting a lack of complete honesty. Secondly, the judge noted the existence of a credible challenge to the validity of Freebit's patent itself, raising further doubts about its enforceability.

The division bench agreed with the single judge's reasoning, stating that his conclusions were sound and could not be challenged.

Senior Advocate Rajeshekhar Rao and his associates Aditya Verma, Tanya Varma, Devyani Nath and Prithvi Gulat represented Freebit AS in the case, while Senior Advocate Jayant Mehta and his associates Gaurav Miglani, Tarun Gandhi, Sharabh Srivastava, Nanki Aneja and Gaurvi Arora appeared for Exotic Mile Private Limited, the parent company of Boult.