Former Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s bid to trademark the phrase “Captain Cool” for entertainment and sports-related services has cleared a key regulatory hurdle, with the Trade Marks Registry formally accepting the application and publishing it in the official journal on June 16, 2025.
Filed under Class 41, the application covers services related to education, entertainment, sporting and cultural activities including coaching and training.
The application, filed in June 2023, initially attracted an objection from the Registry under Section 11(1) of the Trade Marks Act, 1999, which deals with relative grounds of refusal. Such objections are raised when the proposed mark is identical or deceptively similar to an existing registered trademark for the same or similar goods or services, and is likely to cause confusion in the minds of the public.
In Dhoni’s case, the Registry noted a prior registration of the same mark “Captain Cool” by Prabha Skill Sports (OPC) Private Limited for gaming services in Class 41.
However, during a hearing held under Rule 115 of the Trade Marks Rules, Dhoni’s legal team submitted that the term “Captain Cool” is inextricably linked to Dhoni’s identity as a public figure, particularly in the realm of cricket and entertainment.
Accepting this argument, the Senior Examiner of Trade Marks noted:
“The applicant Mr. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, a renowned public figure and former captain of the Indian national cricket team, is widely recognized…by the sobriquet ‘CAPTAIN COOL’. The phrase ‘CAPTAIN COOL’ is closely and uniquely associated with the applicant’s persona and has acquired a distinct secondary meaning in reference to him in the context of sporting and entertainment services.”
The Registry concluded that the applicant’s use of the term was unlikely to create confusion among the public due to its well-established association with Dhoni. Accordingly, the objection under Section 11(1) was waived, and the mark was accepted for advertisement under Section 20(1) of the Trade Marks Act, 1999.
The publication of the mark in the Trade Marks Journal on June 16 triggers a four-month opposition period. During this window, third parties may file a formal notice of opposition if they believe the registration would infringe their existing rights or create marketplace confusion.
