Delhi High Court Emphasizes Transparency on E-Commerce Platforms, Directs Disclosure of Seller Information

In a recent development, the Delhi High Court has mandated e-commerce platforms to provide comprehensive seller details to consumers, ensuring transparency and informed decision-making. Justice Sanjeev Narula noted the need to prevent exploitation of small designers and enterprises for product imitation and intellectual property rights infringement.

The court was addressing a plea filed by clothing retailer Abhi Traders against e-commerce platform Meesho.com and eight alleged unauthorized operators misusing its product images. Justice Narula issued an ex-parte ad interim injunction in favor of the plaintiff, prohibiting the defendants from reproducing or imitating the plaintiff’s clothing designs.

Meesho.com has been directed to disclose sellers’ details, including addresses, mobile numbers, email addresses, sales data, and GST details, and promptly remove infringing listings. This is not the first time the high court has ordered e-commerce platforms to provide complete details of sellers, as Justice Prathiba M. Singh had issued a similar order in a suit filed by clothing brand Tibra Collection.

In that case, Singh noted that defendants were misusing Tibra Collection’s product images and designs for financial gain. The court issued an ad-interim injunction order, restraining known defendants and other sellers on the Meesho platform from reproducing, copying, or imitating any of Tibra Collection’s clothing designs or images. Meesho.com was also asked to disclose detailed information about the sellers.

The court’s decisions emphasize the importance of protecting small businesses and designers from exploitation on e-commerce platforms. By mandating platforms to provide comprehensive seller details, consumers can make informed choices and prevent intellectual property rights infringement in the online market.