Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries has withdrawn its application with the Trade Marks Registry seeking exclusive rights over the term ‘Operation Sindoor’ — the name of the recent military offensive launched by Indian armed forces against terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The application, originally submitted on Wednesday (7 May) under Class 41 — which covers services related to education, training, and entertainment — had signalled potential future use in media or documentary production. However, Reliance has since distanced itself from the filing.

“Reliance Industries has no intention of trademarking Operation Sindoor, a phrase which is now a part of the national consciousness as an evocative symbol of Indian bravery,” the company said in a statement. “Jio Studios, a unit of Reliance Industries, has withdrawn its trademark application, which was filed inadvertently by a junior person without authorisation.”

Reliance was not alone in seeking to register the term. Three other applicants — Mukesh Chetram Agrawal, Group Captain Kamal Singh Oberh (Retd), and Alok Kothari — have also filed claims for trademark registration of the same phrase, suggesting growing commercial or commemorative interest in the operation’s branding.

The surge in applications comes in the immediate aftermath of Operation Sindoor, a targeted military response to the 22 April terror attack in Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen.

In a statement released in the early hours of 7 May, the Ministry of Defence confirmed that nine terrorist infrastructure sites were struck during the overnight operation, carried out across Pakistan and PoK. The statement read:

“A little while ago, the Indian Armed Forces launched ‘OPERATION SINDOOR’, hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed. Altogether, nine (9) sites have been targeted. Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution.”

The Ministry emphasised that the operation was a direct response to the “barbaric” Pahalgam attack and was executed with precision to avoid civilian or military escalation.