Global confectionery giants Mars and Cadbury have settled their 25–year–old trademark dispute over the use of the word “celebrations”. Their dispute was instituted in 2000 and had progressed to now being heard before Delhi High Court under the title Mars Incorporated v Cadbury (India). As per the terms of the settlement, both parties withdrew their cases, trademark objections and rectification applications that had been filed before different authorities for the dispute.
The parties reached a settlement via an agreement dated 3 July 2025, details of which had not been made public.
Under the settlement, the plaintiff agreed to the disposal of the present case and to withdraw its opposition proceedings and opposition against the defendant filed before the Trade Marks Registry. The defendant also agreed to withdraw its opposition and rectification proceedings filed before the registry, for which the defendant had filed for the withdrawal of one of the opposition proceedings even before the parties reached the agreement.
The high court accepted their settlement and lauded both parties and their teams for resolving their longstanding legal battle.
The court said that “even the most protracted disputes can find resolution when goodwill prevails”. In this regard, each company volunteered to distribute an assortment of their confectionery products worth INR500,000 (USD5,600) to Delhi’s school children for the Diwali festival in India. Once done, the parties will file compliance affidavits before the court.
