IPRMENTLAW WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS (NOVEMBER 11-17)

NO STAY ON RELEASE OF NAWAZUDDIN SIDDIQUI-ATHIYA SHETTY’S STARRER MOTICHOOR CHAKHNACHOOR

Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Athiya Shetty starrer Motichoor Chaknachoor released on November 15 contrary to reports stating that there was a stay on the release of the film by a Bihar civil court.

According to reports, a local distributor had claimed the right of the movie, calling for a stay on the movie. He has also presented relevant documents to support his claim. Apparently the issue has been resolved between the parties.

The film’s producer was earlier also accused of not clearing the payments of cast and crew and had not paid the dues of earlier director Debamitra Biswal after asking her not to be part of the film. Biswal had filed a case against him and managed to get a stay order on film’s release from Bombay High Court, which was lifted later.

INDIAN ARMY ISSUES NEW GUIDELINES FOR ADVERTISERS

Indian Army on November 12, issued a new guideline directing advertisers showing actors in uniform. The guidelines will govern all advertisements meant for television, social media and banners. It was strictly noted that no pan masala or fairness cream advertisements should depict soldiers in it. After the issuance of the guidelines all the advertisements that depict soldiers need to get it cleared by the Army before releasing it to the public. The step is being taken as the army does not want to promote any kind of negativity in society.

KARNATAKA HIGH COURT ISSUES NOTICE IN A WRIT PETITION QUESTIONING THE KARNATAKA FILM AWARDS

Kannada film producer N Narasimharaju has filed a writ petition questioning the announcement of Karnataka State Film Awards and subsidy for the films for 2017 and 2018 for violating the guidelines under the Kannada Film Policy 2011. A single-judge bench of Justice K Nataraj, while hearing the petition on November 14, issued a notice to the Kannada and Culture Department, Information and Public Relations Department and chairman and regional officer of the Central Board of Film Certification.

The petitioner submitted that the state government has violated the guidelines under the Kannada Film Policy while selecting films for the awards and subsidy. The petitioner claimed that films, certified in a calendar year, should only be considered for the film awards and subsidy for that year only. But in some cases, the CBFC has issued certificates without mentioning the date of the verification. It indicates that the officials colluded with some producers while selecting the films for the award and subsidy, the petitioner contended.

GOVERNMENT HINTS AT SELF REGULATION FOR OTT PLATFORMS

Amidst the looming fear of the government cracking a whip on the over-the-top (OTT) video streaming industry in India through some kind of a censor board, comes a good news for OTT platforms. Unlike television broadcasting and feature films, the video streaming industry in India will continue to enjoy creative freedom and platforms will only have to come together to create a self-regulation model, said a top official at the ministry of information and broadcasting. Self-regulation under the IAMAI classified content into three separate and distinct categories, including those meant for general or universal viewing; content that requires parental guidance and/or content that is solely meant for age-appropriate audiences (such age-appropriate audience may be further sub-categorized into different age groups). Platforms are also required to display a content descriptor or guidance message that indicate and inform the viewer about the nature of the content, particularly around age-inappropriate content for minors. Also, the signatories to the code agreed to a grievance redressal mechanism whereby they would appoint or institute, as part of their operational systems, a dedicated person, team or department, to receive and address any consumer-related concerns and complaints in relation to the content they are showcasing.

 SIVAKARTHIKEYAN’S ‘HERO’ RUNS INTO TROUBLE, INTERIM STAY ON RELEASE

TSR Films Private Limited petitioned the Madras HC on a matter of loan that was then directed to the Arbitration Centre under orders of the high court. In its petition, TSR Films had stated that it had loaned Rs 10 crore to 24 AM Studios Pvt Ltd. represented by RD Raja, D Prabhu and D Jaya Devi as per the loan agreement dated September 11, 2018.

The petition states, “If the movie is released without settlement of the loan to the applicant  (TSR Films) it would cause severe prejudice to the applicant and the funds would disappear in thin air.” The petitioner has sought for an interim stay until the loan amount is returned along with the interest value based on the agreement.

Upon hearing the case, the judges panel passed an interim stay on the film’s release and scheduled the next hearing for December 2.

However, KJR Studios immediately responded to the news and issued a press release claiming that they are the sole producers of Hero. “We wish to caution general public that KJR Studios had no contact whatsoever with either 24 AM Productions or TSR Films Private Limited with regard to out movie Hero.” They have also warned severe action against TSR Films for involving their name in the issue. The production house also said that the film will release as per schedule on December 20 on Twitter.

 

FORD VS FERRARI: CBFC DENIES ORDERING BLURRING OF ALCOHOL BOTTLES, GLASSES, SAYS ‘IT WAS VOLUNTARILY DONE’

CBFC denied that it had ordered blurring of alcohol bottles in the Hollywood film ‘Ford vs Ferrari’ after a social media furore on the issue.

Tushar Karmarkar, Regional Officer, CBFC, Mumbai, said, “This is completely baseless. No such cut was mentioned by CBFC in its communication to applicant asking for modifications.”