The sandal scandal: Of Birks, Crocs, and Fakes | Part 1

There’s been a lot of action in the world of footwear fashion – especially legal action involving claims and counter-claims about cheap fakes of expensive originals, and also expensive rip-offs of cheaper originals. First it was the crocs, the uniquely shaped perforated sandals. The American company which makes them, Crocs Inc., is pursuing legal action against several Indian companies, including the likes of Bata and Liberty, for copying their visual design and “passing off” their product as crocs. Then we have the case of Italian luxury fashion brand Prada, which has been facing heat in India after it showcased men’s ‘Toe-ring Sandals’ that looked a lot like Kolhapuri chappals. And now we have the German sandal brand Birkenstock getting court approval to inspect factories in India and seize counterfeit Birkenstock sandals. Are these three cases comparable? How exactly does the copyright regime work in the fashion world? And why are Indians crazy for Birkenstocks? In Part 1, we look at the legal battles. In Part 2, we explore how footwear became a cultural and fashion phenomenon. Host: G Sampath Guests: Shantanu Sood, a lawyer who specialises in intellectual property-related issues, and Rosella Stephen, editor of The Hindu’s Sunday Magazine. Produced and edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the U.S. wraps up its 90-day tariff pause, the pressure is on — but many of America’s key trading partners, including India, haven’t signed trade deals.President Donald Trump announced 'Liberation Day" tariffs on April 2, but paused from April 9 to July 9 in a bid to sign deals with trading partners.The U.S. successfully signed pacts with Vietnam, China, and the U.K., but did not secure deals with major partners like the EU, Japan, or India.Now, the pause is officially over, and with retaliatory duties expected to take effect from August 1, the future of global trade has just become more uncertain.India may have reason to worry. In FY2025, India's total trade with the U.S. stood at $186 billion, with exports at $115.2 billion and imports at $70.8 billion. enjoyed a trade surplus of $44.4 billion. That kind of imbalance could make India a target for fresh tariffs.However, India has refused to negotiate under a deadline, and the national interest comes first. The Indian government has also been negotiating with the U.S. on a broader trade deal for years, but a breakthrough remains elusive. So what happens next?  Guest: Ajay Srivastava, Founder, Global Trade Research Initiative [GTRI] Host: Nivedita V Edited by Jude Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A bridge collapsed in Gujarat on July 9, killing at least thirteen people. The Gambhira Bridge, which connected the Anand and Vadodara districts, gave way, sending cars, bikes and auto rickshaws plunging into the Mahisagar River. Built over four decades ago, the bridge had shown signs of being worn out but was still heavily used. Its collapse is part of a troubling pattern of deadly bridge cave-ins across India. What caused the Gambhira Bridge to collapse? Could it have been prevented? And what does this say about how India builds and maintains its roads and bridges? Guest: Abhinay Deshpande from The Hindu’s Ahmedabad Bureau Host: Anupama Chandrasekaran Edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

India’s ten central trade unions – barring the Sangh-affiliated Bharatiy Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) came together to call for a general strike in July 9. Workers from banking, insurance, postal, mining, construction, and transportation sectors have pledged their support to the strike and are expected to participate in big numbers.  According to the Union spokespersons, the strike is in protest against the government’s anti-worker policies and specifically also against the amendments to the 29 labour laws and the newly introduced labour codes.  But these amendments and labour codes happened quite some time ago. Why is the strike being called now? What exactly are the demands of the unions? And what is likely to be its impact?  Guest: A.M. Jigeesh from The Hindu’s Delhi Bureau. Host: G Sampath Produced and edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From July 1st onwards, Delhi started enforcing a fuel ban on End-of-Life Vehicles or ELVs. In Delhi, this means diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years. This enforcement drive followed an order from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) stipulating no fuel for ELVs from July 1. But now, following a public outcry, the Delhi government has written to CAQM asking for this fuel ban to be put on hold “with immediate effect”. The reasons it has cited include “critical operational and infrastructural challenges” and ‘public discontent and outcry”. While the enforcement drive raising a public outcry is understandable, it cannot be denied that Delhi’s air quality has become a year-round emergency which needs counter-measures. How was this decision to ban 10-year-old diesel cars and 15-year-old petrol cars arrived at? Is this a practical policy in a poor country like India where for many, their vehicle is linked to their livelihood? Are there better ways to weed out polluting vehicles? What about retro-fitting older vehicles to make them less polluting? Guest: Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment, Delhi. Host: G Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Produced and Edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the monsoon session of Parliament scheduled for the 21st of this month, road safety activists in the country have begun a push towards demanding more stringent legislation for automobiles, roads and highways, to ensure better safety for all road users. This is not a small concern – India has one of the highest road traffic accident rates in the world, its roads are some of the world’s most deadly, and every three minutes in our country, there is a death due to a road accident. According to Union Minister for Road Transport Nitin Gadkari, every year India sees 4,80,000 accidents, which lead to 1,88,000 deaths of people aged between 18 and 45 years. Additionally, there are 10,000 deaths of children. The country loses 3% of its GDP annually, due to road accidents. Why are our roads so unsafe? Do the problems lie with road design, behaviour on the roads, a lack of implementation of laws or a combination of all these factors and more? Is the government reluctant to ensure better road safety for its citizens? Guest: Ranjit Gadgil, programme director, Parisar, which is part of the Road Safety Network, an Indian coalition of organisations working to improve road safety in the country Host: Zubeda Hamid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Election Commission of India is going to conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. Bihar is due to hold Assembly elections before November22, which is when the term of the current assembly ends. This revision exercise requires all voters who were enrolled after 2003, to provide proof of their and their parents’ citizenship, in order to get their names on the electoral rolls. This elaborate exercise is supposed to be completed in two to three months. It has raised many questions, and fears of mass disenfranchisement, and backdoor implementation of the controversial National Register of Citizens or NRC. When does the EC normally conduct an SIR? What was the reason for initiating it now, just before State elections? Are the fears of disenfranchisement justified? Guest: M.G. Devasahayam, a former IAS officer, who is also Co-ordinator, Citizen’s Commission on Elections. Host: G Sampath. Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wimbledon 2025 kicks off on June 30. Can Carlos Alcaraz make it three championship titles in a row? Or will Novak Djokovic manage to get his 25th Slam and equal Roger Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon titles? Can world no. 1 Jannik Sinner stamp his authority on grass for the first time this year? How do the various contenders stack up in what seems to be a very open field in the women’s draw? Is there a real frontrunner between the likes of world no. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, French Open champ Coco Gauff, and former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova? Can Ons Jabeur or Jasmine Paolini make a deep run this time around? Guest: Ziya Us Salam from The Hindu’s Delhi Bureau. Host: G. Sampath Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian and Jude Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When we think of climate and global warming, what comes to mind is carbon emissions, and how to decarbonise the economy. Lately, another front in the fight against climate change getting more and more attention: the battle against Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (SLCPs), also classified as non-carbon climate pollutants. These gases and chemicals — which include methane, black carbon, tropospheric ozone, hydrofluorocarbons -- have a much higher warming potential and shorter atmospheric lifetimes than CO2. So, what makes SLCPs deadly? What activities produce them? What can be done to mitigate their impact? And what is the nature of the challenge India faces with regard to SLCPs? Guest: Zerin Osho, Director of the India program at the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development. Host: G Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu. Recorded by Jude Francis Weston and Tayyab Hussain Produced and edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After 12 days of exchanging intense strikes and counter-strikes, Israel and Iran have reportedly agreed to a ceasefire. The ceasefire was first announced by President Donald Trump on social media. The war was initiated by Israel with the tacit approval of the US, to achieve certain objectives. Were those objectives achieved? What prompted them to initiate the ceasefire? Why did Iran agree to the ceasefire? With Israel’s attacks on Gaza continuing, will this ceasefire last? Guest: Mehmet Ozturk, senior Turkish journalist and political commentator Host: G Sampath, Social Affiars Editor, The Hindu Edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices