Accretion of Hyundai brand due to its usage on Cars manufactured in India isn’t brand promotion: ITAT

Facts: 

a) Assessee-company was fully owned subsidiary of South Korean automobile giant Hyundai Motor Company (HMC). It was manufacturing cars under the brand name 'Hyundai'- a brand which is legally owned by the HMC.

b) As per the agreement entered into by assessee with HMC Korea, it was mandatory to use the badge with trademark Hyundai in every vehicle manufactured by it.

c) Transfer Pricing Officer (TPO) was of the view that by doing so "the assessee had significantly contributed to the development of Hyundai brand in Indian market" and the HMC Korea is, thus, "benefited due to brand promotion activity carried out by the assessee company".

d) TPO faulted the assessee for not having benchmarked "the international transactions relating to brand development. IT proposed ALP adjustment in respect of compensation that the assessee should have received for brand development.

e) Aggrieved by this draft proposal, assessee appealed before the Dispute Resolution Panel (DRP) which confirmed order of TPO. Assessee filed instant appeal before Tribunal.

Tribunal held in favour of assessee as under:-

1) It was an undisputed position that the foreign AE owns a valuable brand, i.e. Hyundai, and this brand had a certain degree of respect and credibility all over the globe including, of course, in the Indian market. When assessee used this brand name in the name of the models of vehicles manufactured by him, it do indeed amount to an advantage to the assessee.

2) Use of brand name owned by the AE in the motor vehicles manufactured by the assessee did not amount to a benefit to the AE of the assessee. An incidental benefit thought in the sense that increased visibility to this trade name does contribute to increase in brand valuation of the brand name.

3) Undoubtedly, 'provision for services' is included in the definition of 'international transaction' under section 92B, but then accretion in brand value due to use of foreign AEs brand name in the name of assessee's products could not be treated as service either.

4) An accretion in the brand valuation of a brand owned by the AE did not result in profit, losses, income or assets of the assessee-company. Therefore, and it could not result in an international transaction. [2017] 81 taxmann.com 5 (Chennai - Trib.)