No longer a picturesque landmark?

The Taj Mahal Palace is a defining structure of Mumbai’s cityscape since 1903.  The iconic structure got an image trademark recently and is one of India’s only buildings to have it. Which also means that the hotel can now restrain any person from using the images of the 114-year-old building for commercial purposes.

The process was on for several months now, reveals Taljinder Singh, area director and general manager at The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai. “The registration process in India generally takes 18 to 24 months; however, we pursued these trademark applications aggressively and could secure registration in just seven months,” he shares. Ask him why was it important for the structure to be trademarked and he says, “It constitutes valuable intellectual property of the company and has considerable brand value. We felt strongly about protecting and bringing forth the distinctiveness of this most recognised building in India.” While its striking dome has been a steadfast symbol of the city’s identity, one can no longer replicate it in memorabilia, postcards etc without prior permissions, “Our legal team is working on guidelines to streamline the process. Currently, all permission requests can be addressed to the Legal Head of the Indian Hotels Co. Ltd,” he says.