In the case seeking to halt use of the name 'Maldives Expo', the ruling comes after the expo concludes

The Civil Court has ruled that it cannot issue an interim order to stop the use of the name “Maldives Expo” for the exhibition organised by the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade and the Business Center Corporation (BCC). 

This year’s exhibition was held from last week Sunday to Monday of this week.

The case was filed by Maldives Expo Pvt Ltd, which sought a temporary injunction to prevent the state and BCC from using the name “Maldives Expo” before filing a substantive lawsuit. The company argued that although it was legally registered in February 2023, the state’s decision to promote and run the exhibition under the same name from December 2024 had caused it serious business losses.

In response, the state argued that a company name and a trade name are two different concepts, and that “Maldives Expo” is a generic term that cannot be owned by any particular person. The state further noted that the exhibition is held in the public interest to provide national-level opportunities for Maldivian artists.

In her judgment, Judge Rizmina Idris observed that the damages described by the applicant were business losses of a kind that could later be compensated financially, and that there was no proof of irreparable harm if an interim order was not granted. She also held that, in terms of public interest, the broader interests of society should be prioritised over those of an individual business, as the exhibition is a social event involving a large number of Maldivian manufacturers, businesspeople and members of the public. The court therefore concluded that the conditions required for issuing an interim order before the filing of a suit had not been met, and declined to grant the requested injunction.