Jotun's operations in India began with the import of marine products from their company in Singapore in the early 2000s. Jotun India Pvt Ltd was established in 2006. The company supplies paints within all Jotun product areas (Decorative, Marine, Protective and Powder) and there are a total of 444 Jotun employees in India, all of whom are Indian. Jotun India's head office is located in Mumbai, while the sales office is in Chennai.
Jotun's production in India takes place at their factory in Pune, which was built in 2008. Expected production in 2025 is approximately 30 million megatonnes of paint and 7,800 megatonnes of powder coatings. Pune is also home to their new and modern research facility.
India has its own festival of colors
Holi is a Hindu festival celebrated in large parts of North India and by North Indians living in the rest of the world. The Holi festival is a celebration of the victory of colors and love over black and darkness.
More markets
Jotun India operates in decorative products (interior and exterior paints for private customers and developers), marine paints, corrosion protection for buildings and infrastructure installations, and powder coatings for commercial customers (e.g. white goods, furniture, etc.).
Jotun India has its own sales force with several sales offices around the country. They sell products partly through dedicated stores (dealers), especially in the major cities.
IP rights
Jotun has patents and trademark registrations globally and some copyright registrations where possible. They protect innovative technology with patents. In advance, they conduct patentability assessments internally in their own patent department.
Jotun has development departments in many different countries, including India. Where they choose to file the first application depends on whether national law regulates this. If the inventors are domiciled in India, according to Indian law, the first application must be filed in India. Alternatively, a “foreign filing licence (FFL)” must be applied for.
Jotun registers trademarks mostly through the Madrid Protocol with a basic registration in Norway. They search in the individual countries before choosing which countries they want to apply in. Since most trademarks are registered through the Madrid Protocol, trademark renewal is easy.
– Protection of Jotun's intellectual property rights is an important cornerstone for the development of Jotun's business in India.
Uses proxy where necessary
If required, they use an Indian attorney. Where a local attorney is not required, they handle the process through their regular trademark and patent attorneys.
Have experienced interventions
Jotun has experienced some infringements in the trademark area. This has been discovered through monitoring of trademark registers and through their distributors and their own sales organization.
Tips for other businesses entering India
The key to Jotun's long history of profitable international growth has been to bring values and business principles "from home" with them - and to combine this with adaptability to and respect for the cultures, rules and markets of the countries in which they establish themselves.
