Question

Bollywood name has been granted as a trademark to which US-based Media and Entertainment company by Indian Trademark Registry?

• A. Viacom
• B. Universal Studios
• C. Disney Enterprises
• D. Miramax

Hint:

Think of the US media giant behind Mickey Mouse that drew criticism for trademarking a word used for the whole Hindi film industry.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

This question is about a controversial trademark decision from the Indian Trademark Registry in the run-up to 2007. It tests whether you remember which foreign entertainment giant secured rights over a word that most people think of as belonging to the whole Hindi film industry, not to any single company.

1. Viacom: Viacom owns channels like MTV and Nickelodeon and has a strong presence in Indian media, but it was not the company that secured the "Bollywood" trademark from the Indian registry.
2. Universal Studios: Universal is a major Hollywood studio, but it is not linked to this particular trademark grant in India.
3. Disney Enterprises: Disney Enterprises, the US-based media and entertainment arm of the Walt Disney Company, was granted the trademark rights over the word "Bollywood" for use in India for media and entertainment purposes. This decision drew sharp criticism because "Bollywood" is a widely used generic label for India's Hindi-language film industry as a whole, not a name owned by any one studio.
4. Miramax: Miramax is a well-known American film studio, but it is not the company that received this trademark from the Indian registry, even though Miramax has separately been involved in disputes over similar film-industry names in the past.

Because the controversy specifically centred on a Disney entity acquiring exclusive rights to a term the public sees as belonging to the whole industry, the correct company here is Disney Enterprises.

Let's summarize:

• The Indian Trademark Registry granted the "Bollywood" trademark to Disney Enterprises, a US media and entertainment company.
• This was controversial because Bollywood is treated as a generic industry name rather than a brand owned by one studio.

The correct answer is option (C), Disney Enterprises.