Pure corporate dispute, nothing between brothers: Abhishek Lodha on litigation with HoABL

New Delhi: Realty firm Macrotech Developers MD Abhishek Lodha on Sunday said there is a "pure corporate dispute" between his company and House of Abhinandan Lodha over use of trademark and it is "nothing to do with brothers".

Macrotech Developers has recently filed a suit in the Bombay High Court against House of Abhinandan Lodha (HoABL), formed by younger brother Abhinandan Lodha, for infringement of its trademarks and sought appropriate injunctions, reliefs, and damages.

In an interview with PTI, Abhishek Lodha said he has no problem with younger brother Abhinandan Lodha doing real estate business, but asserted that his company has every right to protect its trademarks -- 'Lodha' and 'Lodha Group'.

Macrotech Developers is listed on stock exchanges and is one of the leading real estate firms in the country, while House of Abhinand Lodha is into plotted developments across various cities including Ayodhya.

Breaking silence on the matter, Abhishek said, "He (Abhinandan) is my brother. I have lot of affection for him and I have done whatever I could to support him, and I wish him the very best. This is a litigation on a very simple point of trademark." He emphasised that consumers have a right to know with which company they are dealing with.

The 'Lodha' brand has been built with a lot of efforts in the last four decades, he said, adding that "as a company we cannot allow our brand to get diluted".

Noting that Macrotech has some of the top investors in the world as its shareholders, Abhishek said the company was forced to file suit to protect the interest of its consumers and shareholders.

"He is my brother, and I wish him very well. The company will do whatever it is supposed to do to protect this thing. I have no problem with him doing real estate. I want him to be successful in every possible way, but not by confusing the consumer that they are dealing with a Lodha group, which everybody sees as India's top developer," asserted Abhishek.

He, however, asserted, "It's nothing to do with brothers. It's a pure corporate dispute." The matter is listed for hearing on Monday in the Bombay High Court.

Abhinandan Lodha had quit Macrotech Developers (erstwhile Lodha Developers) in 2015 to start his own business.

In response to the case filed in the high court, HoABL founder Abhinandan Lodha had said in a statement last week that Macrotech Developers is "unable to digest" the success of his company.

"Since Macrotech Developers Ltd has filed a case in the High court, we will be responding legally," Abhinandan said, while listing out his efforts in building the Lodha brand before his split with the big brother.

Abhinandan also said that he has helped Macrotech financially even after the separation.

"I do hope that my family honours all the commitments made to me as I have delivered not only on all my commitments but also beyond, whenever called upon to help with advice, time and money," said Abhinandan.

In a regulatory filing on January 22, Macrotech Developers explained the reasons behind this suit.

"Abhinandan Lodha and entities related to him are engaged in real estate business and are creating confusion in the consumer's minds with respect to their association with 'Lodha' and 'Lodha Group'," Macrotech said.

HoABL is marketing their business in a manner which is deceptively similar and/or identical to our widely known and highly valuable brand name of 'LODHA' and 'LODHA GROUP', alleged Macrotech, while citing some instances in the regulatory filing.

"We have been approached by numerous customers in relation to their issues/ queries with HoABL, evidencing the deliberate confusion being created amongst stakeholders through HoABL's marketing & communication," Macrotech had said.

Macrotech had said that it is critical for the company to protect its IPR (intellectual property right).

On Saturday, Macrotech Developers reported an 88 per cent increase in its consolidated net profit to Rs 944.4 crore for the quarter ended December on higher income amid strong housing demand.

Net profit stood at Rs 503.3 crore in the year-ago period.

Total income rose to Rs 4,146.6 crore in the third quarter of this fiscal from Rs 2,958.7 crore in the corresponding period of the preceding year.

During the April-December period of 2024-25 fiscal, the company's net profit more than doubled to Rs 1,842.6 crore from Rs 883.6 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year.

Total income rose to Rs 9,749.5 crore in the first nine months of this fiscal from Rs 6,385.6 crore in the corresponding period of the preceding year.

On operational front, Macrotech has achieved Rs 12,820 crore of pre-sales till December in this fiscal showcasing 25 per cent growth.

The company is confident of achieving the sales bookings target of Rs 17,500 crore for this fiscal.

Macrotech Developers has delivered ~100 million square feet of real estate and is currently developing more than 110 million square feet under its on-going and planned portfolio.