TAFE Wins Temporary Order in Dispute with AGCO Over Massey Ferguson Brand

Temporary Order Wins By TAFE in legal battle with Massey Ferguson Corporation, A Part Of AGCO

The Madras High Court has given a temporary order in favor of TAFE, an Indian tractor company, in its legal battle with Massey Ferguson Corporation, which is part of AGCO. The main issue is TAFE's use of the Massey Ferguson brand in India. TAFE has filed a civil suit, claiming it owns the trademarks in India, separate from the products sold there.

Overview of the Dispute

Under the legal proceedings, TAFE called for the Massey Ferguson trademarks to be transferred to its name. It also demanded interim relief to restrain AGCO or its agents from doing any further act that would result in TAFE being deprived of exclusive use.

According to the company, TAFE wants the court to prevent AGCO from claiming any rights to the Massey Ferguson brand in India while the case is ongoing.  After the hearing from both sides, the Madras High Court gave temporary relief to TAFE on Thursday. It's a response to its plea to protect the rights it claims for the Massey Ferguson brand during the pending litigations. No further details about the court order have come in so far.

On October 17, 2024, TAFE stated that it would receive official information from the court shortly. TAFE and AGCO have been in conflict over the use of the Massey Ferguson brand in India. 

The terminated agreements included the license agreement for the Massey Ferguson brand. They also included the distribution agreement for India, Nepal, and Bhutan. Additionally, there was an intellectual property license agreement covering the entire SAARC region, which includes India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Bhutan. The companies traded with each other for more than sixty years.

TAFE has pointed out that AGCO's Global Brand website has not mentioned the Massey Ferguson brand concerning India, Nepal, and Bhutan for the past sixty years. TAFE owns the rights following its acquisition of Massey Ferguson India in 1960.

AGCO cited TAFE's "inappropriate and unauthorized actions" as grounds for terminating the agreements, following which each company filed a case in court against the other.