Mumbai Court Refuses Pre-Release Injunction Against O’Romeo, Suit to Continue on Merits
A Mumbai City Civil Court has declined to stay the release of O’Romeo, directed by Vishal Bhardwaj and starring Shahid Kapoor, dismissing an interim plea filed by Sanober Shaikh, daughter of the late Hussain “Ustara” Shaikh, who alleged that the film was an unauthorised biopic misappropriating her father’s persona and defaming him. The court held that no case for interim restraint was made out, noting objections raised by the makers including delay in approaching the court, lack of locus standi, prior monetary demands, and the fact that the film had been publicly announced and completed much earlier. Accepting the defence that the film is a fictional work inspired by broad themes, supported by disclaimers, and not a biographical portrayal, the court also recorded the settled position that claims of personality, privacy and defamation do not ordinarily survive the death of an individual. Clarifying that its observations are prima facie and will not affect final adjudication, the court permitted the film’s scheduled release on February 13, while the civil suit proceeds, with pleadings to be completed ahead of the next hearing.
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India Proposes Draft IT (Digital Code) Rules, 2026 to Regulate Obscenity and Mandate Age-Based Content Ratings
The Union government has drafted the IT (Digital Code) Rules, 2026, aimed at curbing obscene and offensive online content by introducing clear “red lines” and a mandatory age-based classification system for all digital media, including age ratings like U, 7+, 13+, 16+ and adult-only across platforms. The rules draw from existing broadcast standards to define prohibited content that “offends decent taste, incites hatred or glorifies violence,” and require prominent content descriptors and age ratings, along with age verification and parental controls for higher-rated material, as part of efforts to protect minors online while balancing free-speech considerations under legal scrutiny.
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India’s Music Industry Launches “Sangeet Dwar” – A One-Window Licensing Portal to Simplify Public Performance Rights
India’s music industry has introduced Sangeet Dwar, a unified digital platform that streamlines the process for obtaining licences for public music performances replacing the cumbersome requirement to approach multiple rights bodies separately by providing a single online gateway for live and recorded music permissions at events, hospitality venues, festivals, weddings, and corporate functions. Backed by major rights and licensing organisations like IPRS, PPL, NOVEX and RMPL and industry associations, the initiative aims to improve compliance, transparency in fee structures, and royalty flows to creators, while reducing licensing confusion for organisers and strengthening protection of musical intellectual property nationwide.
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Supreme Court Warns WhatsApp of Ban Over Data-Sharing, Upholds Right to Privacy
The Supreme Court of India has issued a stern warning to WhatsApp and its parent company Meta, threatening to ban the messaging platform if it continues sharing users’ personal data with Meta entities for commercial purposes, criticising its 2021 privacy policy as exploitative and undermining the fundamental right to privacy under the Constitution. The court rejected WhatsApp’s “take it or leave it” consent model as illusory, emphasised that users especially less tech-savvy Indians lack real choice, and made clear that no data may be shared without robust safeguards, signalling intense judicial scrutiny of tech giants’ data practices.
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Kunal Kamra and Senior Advocate Haresh Jagtiani Challenge Sahyog Portal in Bombay High Court
Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra and senior advocate Haresh Jagtiani have filed writ petitions in the Bombay High Court challenging the constitutional validity of the government’s Sahyog portal, a digital platform used to issue content takedown and blocking orders to intermediaries like X, YouTube and Meta, as well as Rule 3(1)(d) of the amended Information Technology Rules under which it was created; the petitioners argue that the portal permits unilateral content removal without due process safeguards, undermines freedom of speech and exceeds legal limits under the IT Act by enabling arbitrary takedowns without prior notice or hearing, and therefore strikes at democratic and constitutional rights.
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Delhi High Court Upholds Vivek Oberoi’s Personality Rights, Grants Injunction Against Unauthorised Use
The Delhi High Court has granted interim protection to Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi in a suit asserting his personality rights, issuing an ex-parte ad-interim and “John Doe” injunction against unnamed and identified defendants to stop the unauthorised commercial use, publication, reproduction, adaptation or distribution of his name, image, voice or likeness across social media, websites and other mediums, including AI-generated content; the order also empowers Oberoi to seek expedited takedown of infringing material and reinforces judicial recognition of personal identity and publicity rights in the digital era.
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Kerala High Court Questions Plea to Block Film on Venjaramoodu Mass Murder, Sees No Clear Threat to Fair Trial
The Kerala High Court expressed strong skepticism about a petition seeking to restrain the release and promotion of a Malayalam film, Kaalam Paranja Katha, allegedly inspired by the Venjaramoodu mass murder, filed by the father of the accused on the grounds that it could prejudice the ongoing trial, asking how a movie’s artistic expression could affect a fair hearing when judicial decisions are based on evidence, not creative works, and noting a lack of concrete proof that the film’s content was identical to the case or would interfere with justice; the court indicated reluctance to grant interim relief and emphasised that artistic freedom must be balanced with actual impact on trial proceedings.
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Jammu & Kashmir High Court Stays Defamation Proceedings Against ‘Article 370’ Filmmakers Over Procedural Lapse
The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh has stayed criminal defamation proceedings against filmmaker Aditya Dhar and others in a complaint alleging their film Article 370 used a man’s photograph without consent to portray him as a terrorist, holding that the trial court failed to follow mandatory procedural safeguards under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 before issuing pre-cognisance summons, as there was no record of the complainant or witnesses being examined on oath; the stay will remain until the next hearing, and the court has issued notice to the complainant while the matter is listed for further hearing.
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Neeraj Pandey and Manoj Bajpayee Stress “Not About Any Community” Amid ‘Ghooskhor Pandat’ Title Backlash
Facing intense backlash over the title of their upcoming Netflix film ‘Ghooskhor Pandat’, with protests, an FIR in Uttar Pradesh, political criticism and demands for a ban from groups like the BSP and VHP, filmmaker Neeraj Pandey and lead actor Manoj Bajpayee have clarified that the story centres on a single fictional character and is not intended to target any caste or community, acknowledging that the title has “hurt” some sentiments, withdrawing promotional material and stressing the creative work should be judged on its narrative rather than misinterpreted as an attack on social or religious groups.
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Hera Pheri 3 Hit by Copyright Row as South Producer Claims Franchise Rights
The production of the highly anticipated Hera Pheri 3 has hit legal trouble after Seven Arts International, a South Indian production house, moved the Madras High Court claiming that Firoz Nadiadwala does not legally own the rights to the Hera Pheri franchise and hence cannot authorise sequels or character use, alleging he was only entitled to make one Hindi remake of the Malayalam original Ramji Rao Speaking; the suit asserts that Seven Arts holds the full rights and that Nadiadwala’s subsequent productions and sale of rights to Akshay Kumar’s banner may be unauthorised, casting uncertainty over the film’s future amid the ongoing copyright dispute.
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