Adar Poonawalla acquires 50% stake in Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions for ₹1,000 crore
Adar Poonawalla’s Serene Productions has announced an investment of INR 1000 CR into Karan Johar’s production companies, Dharma Productions and Dharmatic Entertainment (called Dharma collectively) and shall now hold a 50 per cent stake in Dharma. Karan Johar who is also the company’s Executive Chairman shall retain the remaining 50 per cent ownership. “Poonawalla’s investment values Dharma at Rs 2,000 crore,” Serene Productions said in a statement.
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Coldplay concert ticket scalping: PIL filed in Bombay High Court against seeking guidelines to curb ticket scalping and black marketing
A public interest litigation has been filed in the Bombay High Court seeking guidelines to curb black marketing and ticket scalping at major events in the backdrop of alleged foul play during the online tickets sale for British band Coldplay’s highly anticipated concert in Mumbai in January 2025. The plea was mentioned for urgent hearing before the division bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar who has posted the hearing after Diwali vacation.
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ED Raids Uncover Ticketing Scam for Coldplay and Diljit Dosanjh Concerts Across India
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided locations in five cities—Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Chandigarh, and Bangalore—exposing unauthorized ticket resales and scams related to Coldplay’s and Diljit Dosanjh’s concerts. The investigation revealed that tickets, which sold out quickly on official platforms, were resold on secondary markets at inflated prices. BookMyShow filed FIRs against several suspects involved. Seized devices and SIM cards are being analyzed for money laundering links.
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Calcutta High Court becomes India’s third HC With specialised division to hear Intellectual Property cases
The Calcutta High Court recently adopted the much-awaited Intellectual Property Rights Division Rules, 2023, (Calcutta IPD Rules) making it the third High Court in India, after Delhi and Madras, to implement specialized regulations for intellectual property (IP) matters.
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Ekta Kapoor and mother Shobha booked under POSCO Act for objectionable scenes in Gandi Baat.
A case has been filed against them under the POCSO Act against Ekta Kapoor and mother Shobha for allegedly showing inappropriate scenes involving minor girls in an ALT Balaji’s web series Gandi Baat. They have refuted the claims and shared an official statement on Tuesday via an Instagram post clarifying that Shobha and Ekta are not involved in day to day operations of the company and the same is managed by separate teams. The statement further read that the company is fully compliant with all applicable laws including the POCSO Act and any reference to engagement of minors by the company is entirely incorrect.”
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Bombay HC bars ‘Mrs. India’ winner from competing in other pageants, upholds contractual obligations
The Bombay High Court has temporarily restrained 2023 ‘Mrs India’ pageant winner, ,Sherry Singh, enforcing contractual obligations in the beauty pageant industry from participating in any national and international beauty contests during pendency of the suit against her. The case was filed by Mrs. Mohini Satyendra Sharma, the sole proprietor of “Mrs. India Inc.,” which conducts pageants under the brand name “Mrs. India” and holds various international franchise licenses. The organization’s terms and conditions explicitly prevent winners from participating in other pageants during their tenure and for five years thereafter. Sharma submitted that Sherry Singh was going to participate in the Mrs. Bharat Universe 2024 pageant scheduled in South Korea. Justice Doctor observed that despite being given ample opportunity since April 2024, Singh had not filed any response to the interim application. The court stated, “Having heard Mr. Shah as also having gone through the Terms and Conditions relied upon… I am satisfied that the Plaintiff has made out a prima facie case for the grant of ad interim relief. This is more so, since No.3, Mrs. Sherry Singh, though served, has chosen not to appear today”
Read the order here.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui lands in trouble over poker Ad wearing police uniform
As per reports, the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti has written a letter to the Mumbai Police Commissioner and the Director-General of Maharashtra Police, demanding action against Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Ankur Singh, the owner of Big Cash Poker over an advertisement. In the ad, the actor is seen encouraging the viewers to play poker wearing a police uniform. The organisation has claimed that the advertisement is damaging the reputation of the Maharashtra police by linking it to gambling.
View the ad here.
Madras High Court dismisses ban on ‘Thangalaan’ OTT release
The Madras High Court dismissed the ban on the OTT release of ‘Thangalaan’ starring Chiyaan Vikram. As per reports, the PIL was filed by a resident named Porkodi from Thiruvallur who demanded the ban on the film’s online release. He alleged that the film portrayed Vaishanvism in a humorous way which could lead to potential tensions between communities. The petition demanded a stay on the OTT release and argued that such a portrayal could disrupt the harmony of the society. The court found that the Thangalaan film was already cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for theatrical release. As a result, the bench ruled that there were no grounds to impose any limitations on the film’s digital release.
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Star Health data leak: Madras high court asks Telegram to delete posts, chatbots
The Madras high court, while hearing a petition filed by Star Health against Telegram and other platforms after its database was hacked, has directed Telegram to delete posts flagged by Star Health Insurance. The court in its interim order, has directed the insurance company to send an email with the username and the URL from which such bots are posted so Telegram can block and delete them after the messaging platform said it was unable to search for leaks on its own.
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Copyright infringement case filed against Navi Mumbai company for unauthorised use of font
A Navi Mumbai company is facing a copyright infringement case for the unauthorized use of the Sailfin font. The case sheds light on the importance of font licensing, emphasizing that even fonts, often overlooked as minor design elements, are subject to intellectual property protections. This legal action highlights the risks businesses face if they fail to comply with licensing agreements, including potential lawsuits and reputational damage. As the digital ecosystem grows, the need for clear font usage policies becomes essential to avoid copyright violations.
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Bombay High Court Recognizes ‘GIRNAR’ as a Well-Known Trademark
The Bombay High Court, has recognized the trademark “GIRNAR” as a well-known mark in India within the meaning of the Trade Marks Act, 1999 recognising that the goodwill and reputation of the trademark extended well beyond specific goods or services, making it a household name in India and deserving of protection across all product categories.
Read more about the order here.
Delhi HC protects Dream11 trademark: Issues permanent injunction against replica website
A suit was filed by Sporta Technologies Pvt. Ltd. seeking permanent injunction restraining the defendants for alleged unlawful activities of the defendants, specifically the operation of a website that closely mimics the plaintiffs’ established fantasy sports platform, “DREAM11”. The plaintiff argued the defendants website (http://www.dream11com.in/) has replicated the plaintiffs’ earlier website and utilized their ‘DREAM11′ trademarks and logos without authorization. The defendant’s website diverted users to a betting platform, tarnishing the plaintiffs’ goodwill.
The court found a clear case of trademark infringement and passing off, ordering a permanent injunction against the use of the ‘DREAM11’ marks and the transfer of the infringing domain ‘dream11com.in’ to the plaintiffs.
Major Labels, Thousands of Artists Sign Statement Opposing Use of Creative Works in AI Training
Thousands of musicians, composers, actors and authors from across the creative industries, including ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus, all five members of Radiohead and The Cure’s Robert Smith, have signed a statement opposing artificial intelligence companies and developers using their work without a license for training generative AI systems. Signatories also include all three major record labels — Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group — as well as a wide range of music trade organizations representing record labels, publishers and creators from the U.S., Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Austria, Mexico, the U.K., Ireland, Sweden and Brazil.
Elon Musk and Warner Bros. Discovery sued by Blade Runner 2049 Producer over AI Ad
Alcon Entertainment, the producers behind Blade Runner 2049, are suing Elon Musk over AI-generated images in an ad for the launch of Tesla’s Robotaxi. The lawsuit is alleging direct copyright infringement over the ad, which was used in an event for the Robotaxi presentation livestreamed on the Warner Bros. As per Variety, article, according to the lawsuit, the day before the Robotaxi launch, Alcon was contacted by Warner Bros regarding the use of specific images and footage from Blade Runner 2049 in the presentation, and requested specific permission and rights to an image from the Film which Alcon co-CEOs Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson had expressly denied.
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Wall Street Journal, New York Post Sue Perplexity AI For Copyright Infringement
The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post has filed a lawsuit in a US court against AI company Perplexity AI for illegally copying and reproducing copyrighted content from The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post to power its AI-driven “answer engine.”. Perplexity is one of Silicon Valley’s hottest startups at the moment, whose AI powered search engine is often mentioned as a potential disruptor to Google. Unlike ChatGPT, Perplexity’s tool provides up-to-date answers that often include links to source materials, allowing users to verify information.
Read about it here.
