MAM
Cookie crumbles: Oreo maker sues Parle over design infringement
NEW DELHI: Mondelez-owned food manufacturer Intercontinental Great Brands, the maker of Oreo biscuits, has moved the Delhi high court against Parle Products, alleging that the design of one of its biscuit brands is similar to that of its popular offering.
Intercontinental has claimed that the design of Parle's Fabio biscuits is “deceptively similar” to that of Oreo. Both cookies do share similar visual characteristics – white cream sandwiched between two round, dark biscuits.
The court has fixed April 12 as the date for next hearing in the trademark infringement case. So far both Intercontinental and Parle have not issued a statement on the case.
Intercontinental Great Brands LLC is a unit of Mondelez International Inc. Mondelez had launched Oreo in India about a decade ago. It had gradually introduced more variants of the original Oreo cookie, including choco creme and strawberry flavours. On the other hand, Parle's Fabio biscuits entered the market in January 2020.
According to data shared by Mondelez, India is among its top-five markets by volume, and is now the fourth largest market for Oreo in the world. No surprise then that the company was quick to take legal recourse to fend off competition from a lookalike biscuit, spelling trouble for Parle. But that's the way the cookie crumbles.
This is the latest case of alleged infringement in the highly competitive biscuit market in India. There have been multiple cases of trademark infringement among various companies.
Just last year, Britannia Industries had filed an infringement case against Kishore Biyani-led Future Consumer, alleging that it had copied the packaging of several of its biscuit brands. Britannia said that Future had used 'Good Time' on one of its products, similar to Britannia's Good Day brand. In December, it filed a case against ITC for alleged infringement of its product packaging trademark.
Brands
YES Bank hands the keys to SBI veteran Vinay Tonse as it bets on a new era
Former SBI managing director appointed as YES Bank’s new MD and CEO
MUMBAI: YES Bank is done rebuilding. Now it wants to grow. The private sector lender has appointed Vinay Muralidhar Tonse as managing director and chief executive officer-designate, with RBI approval secured and a start date of April 6, 2026 confirmed. The three-year term signals the bank’s intent to shift gears from crisis recovery to full-throttle expansion.
Tonse, 60, is no stranger to scale. Most recently managing director at State Bank of India, he oversaw a retail book of roughly $800bn in deposits and advances, one of the largest in the country. Before that, he ran SBI Mutual Fund from August 2020 to December 2022, a stint that saw assets under management surge from Rs 4.32 lakh crore to Rs 7.32 lakh crore across market cycles. Add stints in Singapore and four years leading SBI’s overseas operations in Osaka, and the incoming chief arrives with a genuinely global CV.
His academic grounding is equally solid: a commerce degree from St Joseph’s College of Commerce, Bengaluru, and a master’s in commerce from Bangalore University.
The appointment follows an extensive search and evaluation process by the bank’s Nomination and Remuneration Committee. NRC chairperson Nandita Gurjar said the committee unanimously backed Tonse, citing his leadership track record, governance credentials and ability to drive the bank’s next phase of transformation.
Non-executive chairman Rama Subramaniam Gandhi was unequivocal. “I am certain that Vinay Tonse, with his vast experience as a senior banker, will propel YES Bank to its next phase of growth,” Gandhi said, adding that the bank remains focused on strengthening its retail and corporate banking franchises and expanding its branch network.
Rajeev Kannan, non-executive director and senior executive at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, the bank’s largest shareholder, said Tonse’s experience across retail, corporate banking, global markets and asset management positioned him well to lead the lender. SMBC said it looks forward to working with Tonse and the board as YES Bank pursues its ambition of becoming a top-tier private sector lender anchored in strong governance and sustainable growth.
Tonse succeeds Prashant Kumar, who took the helm in March 2020 when YES Bank was in freefall following a severe financial crisis, and spent six years painstakingly stabilising the institution, rebuilding governance and restoring operational scale. Gandhi was generous: “The bank remains indebted to Prashant Kumar, who is responsible for much of what a strong financial powerhouse YES Bank is today.”
Tonse, for his part, struck a purposeful note. “Together with the board and my colleagues, I remain deeply committed to creating long-term value for all our stakeholders,” he said, pledging to build on Kumar’s foundation guided by his personal motto: Make A Difference.
Beyond the balance sheet, Tonse played cricket at college and club level and represented Karnataka in archery at the national championships — sports he credits with teaching him teamwork, situational leadership, discipline and focus. In quieter moments, he reaches for retro Kannada music, classic Hindi songs, and the crooning of Engelbert Humperdinck, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar.
YES Bank has its steady-handed rebuilder in Kumar to thank for survival. Now it has a scale-obsessed growth banker at the wheel. The next chapter starts April 6.
