Indian Penal Code, 1860
Section 481
repealedUsing a false property mark
Whoever marks any movable property or goods or any case, package or other receptacle containing movable property or goods, or uses any case, package or other receptacle having any mark thereon, in a manner reasonably calculated to cause it to be believed that the property or goods so marked, or any property or goods contained in any such receptacle so marked, belong to a person to whom they do not belong, is said to use a false property mark.
Why this exists
This section sets up the conduct definition that the following section (482) then punishes. It protects the reliability of ownership marks on goods -- important in trade and commerce, where buyers, sellers, and even courts often rely on such marks to determine who really owns disputed property. The IPC was repealed on 1 July 2024 and replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, which now governs these offences.