The Delhi High Court ruled that Google is liable for allowing competitors to bid on the trademark 'Hindware' as an advertising keyword, rejecting Google's safe-harbour defence under India's IT Act. Justice Mini Pushkarna found that Google's active role — suggesting trademarked terms via Keyword Planner, running auctions, and profiting from clicks — makes it a participant rather than a neutral intermediary. Google and Google India were permanently restrained from offering the mark as a keyword and ordered to pay ₹30 lakh (~$31,600) in damages. The ruling's broader implication is that any platform algorithm that actively shapes what users see could lose safe-harbour protection, potentially affecting ad targeting, content recommendation, and search ranking. Google may appeal, and the decision comes amid wider global regulatory scrutiny of its advertising business.
