Ambani’s Media Giant Faces Backlash for Attempting to Trademark Military Operation Codename
Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries has withdrawn its application to trademark “Operation Sindoor,” the codename for India’s recent military strikes against Pakistan, following intense public criticism and political backlash.
The controversy erupted when social media users discovered trademark applications filed by Reliance on an Indian government website. The applications indicated the company sought rights for “provision of entertainment; production, presentation and distribution of audio, video” related to the operation’s name.
Reliance quickly issued a statement claiming the application was filed “inadvertently by a junior person at Jio Studios without authorization.” The company acknowledged that “Operation Sindoor” had become “a part of the national consciousness as an evocative symbol of Indian bravery.”
The military operation referenced in the trademark was India’s response to militant attacks in Kashmir that killed 26 people, mostly Hindus. The codename “Sindoor” – referring to the red vermilion powder worn by married Hindu women – was widely interpreted as a poignant reference to the widows created by the attack.
Congress party spokesperson Aniruddh Sharma publicly criticized Ambani, questioning why the billionaire was attempting to register the trademark for business gains. Social media users expressed similar sentiments, with one X user calling it “blatant mockery” and “disturbing to see something so serious being reduced to a joke.”
Industry observers note this application follows a pattern of successful Bollywood films about military operations, including the 2019 hit “Uri,” which dramatized previous Indian “surgical strikes” against Pakistan and was released in 16 countries.
Reliance last year merged its Indian media assets with Walt Disney to create an $8.5 billion entertainment empire that operates numerous channels and a streaming platform.
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