Kerala’s State-run public transport company, Kerala State Road Transport Corporation, is currently going through one of its worst financial crises but this may not stop it from launching a legal battle against its Karnataka counterpart, Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation, over the question of which of the two entities really deserves the brand name, KSRTC.

The Kerala SRTC, founded in 1937 as Travancore State Transport Department, have been calling itself as KSRTC since 1953 but the Karnataka corporation, which has been known in that abbreviation only since 1973, outsmarted the Kerala company by earning the ownership of the brand ‘KSRTC’, awarded by the Registrar of Trademarks.

The Kerala SRTC has reportedly sent an e-mail to the Registrar of Trademarks stating its objection to the brand name’s award to Karnataka. Its plan is to approach the Judiciary if a favourable decision does not come from the Registrar. It would argue that it had been using the name, KSRTC, much before the Karnataka entity had begun using it.

The Karnataka SRTC had a month ago wrote a letter to its Kerala counterpart informing of its displeasure at the use of its brand name ‘KSRTC’ for the service in Kerala as it had been awarded to Karnataka. It says that it had attached to the letter all documentary evidences and certificates issued by the Trademarks Registrar.

The Karnataka authorities are claiming that they had completed all the formalities and procedures associated with the awarding of trademarks. According to them, it is irrelevant when the service had begun but what is important is getting the brand name registered. The fact is that the Kerala SRTC had not even thought of such a possibility till date.

Antony Chacko, managing director of the Kerala SRTC, says that it was unfair on the part of Karnataka to obtain the trademark “without our knowledge”. The Kerala corporation says it will fight the case legally and its legal department has already started the preparations. As far as Karnataka’s letter was concerned, the State RTC’s legal department would send a reply.

Kerala Transports Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan said the State would not allow anybody to “hijack” its ‘brand’ names (though these were not registered). “These are not things which can be done without the knowledge of others concerned. We cannot allow such things to happen,” Thiruvanchoor told the media.

But the Karnataka SRTC is firm in its position. Reports from Bangalore quoted its managing director Rajendra Kumar Kataria as saying, “Nothing illegal had been done by us at any stage. We have done everything on legal grounds. What matters is the date of brand name registration. We are the official owners of the brand, KSRTC.”

Authorities of the Kerala State RTC informed that they would approach the Trademarks Registrar also against the awarding to Andhra Pradesh of brand name Garuda, which was being used by Kerala for the past several years for its Volvo hi-tech, luxury buses. “We are not ready to give up such grand names for the sake of other states,” a Kerala State RTC official said.

The Kerala SRTC will also apply for trademark registration of its commercial icon and of the brand names Venad, Thiru-Kochi and Malabar for State RTC buses operating in southern, central and northern regions respectively.