Trademarking the Taj

The year 2017 was witness to yet another crowning jewel in the history of the Taj Mahal Palace with the hotel becoming the first private building in India to be trademarked under the Trade Marks Act, 1999. With this feat, Taj Mahal Palace has joined the ranks of iconic architectural marvels around the world including the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building and the Sydney Opera House, which have secured intellectual property rights for their distinctive building designs.

The Taj Mahal Palace hotel has always been in the forefront representing India’s rich history and cultural heritage. The hotel which was built even before the Gateway of India in 1903, has been serving as a distinctive symbol of Mumbai’s skyline for more than 114 years. Serving as a triangulation point for the Indian Navy to show the way towards the harbour, the Taj Mahal Palace hotel has come a long way to becoming the most recognizable building in the country.

As explained by Rajendra Misra, senior vice president and general counsel of Taj Hotels Palaces Resorts Safaris and the vision behind this protection, “One does not need a signboard on the iconic building to identify that it is the Taj Mahal Palace hotel. Such is its distinctiveness. It is, thus, a perfect example of a trademark and, with this registration, it today, rightfully occupies a coveted position among the most iconic buildings in the world.”