Zoho CEO Vembu criticizes Google after Delhi ₹30L ruling
Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu is calling out Google for what he describes as "shady business practices," following a Delhi High Court decision.
The court found Google liable for trademark infringement and ordered it to pay ₹30 lakh in damages after rival brands used Hindware's name as keywords on Google Ads to redirect users.
Sridhar Vembu backs Nithin Kamath
Vembu backed Zerodha's Nithin Kamath, saying, I am with Nithin on this: What Google was doing was completely unethical . . . I am glad it has been found illegal in India. They need to be held to account for these shady business practices.
The court made it clear that Google wasn't just a passive platform: it actively enabled misuse through its Ads and Keyword Planner tools.
Even if trademarks weren't visible in ads, using them as keywords still counts as infringement.