TVS Motors Drags Bajaj Auto To Court Over 'Belittling' Ads

Rival two-wheeler makers TVS Motors and Bajaj Auto are finding themselves on the opposite sides of a courtroom. The issue? A series of ads by Bajaj Auto seems to be ‘belittling’ the products of TVS Motors, the latter claims. How so? The series of ads, being run by Bajaj dealers in Tamil Nadu, claim the fuel efficiency of the Bajaj CT100 to be better than that of the TVS XL100.

The Madras High Court has issued a two-week interim injunction on the ad campaigns. As per the court order, the ads compared the fuel efficiency of the two-wheelers "on the basis of false figures". In the interim injunction, the court restrains Bajaj from continuing the ad comparing the fuel efficiency of the CT100 with the TVS XL100 for a duration of two weeks.

TVS Motors filed the case at the Madras High Court nine days ago. Incidentally, nine dealer ads were circulated in Tamil Nadu by Bajaj Auto. The court's decision is based on the specific pointing of a specific demerit in the TVSXL100 by Bajaj Auto. However, no problem was found with both parties trying to emphasise on their own products' qualities. The court order also says that nitty-gritties of the case will be dealt with once Bajaj Auto files its counter.

The court said that Bajaj Auto claimed in its ad that the TVS XL100's fuel efficiency is 50 per cent less than the Bajaj CT100's. The order adds that while "puffing" a company's products up is "permissible", it should not show a rival product in bad light. Also, comparative ads are permissible as long as they do not contain negative overtones, the court added.