Bombay High Court restrains OTT release of Bhool Chuk Maaf; upholds PVR Inox’s rights; next hearing on June 16
Bombay High Court granted ad-interim relief to PVR Inox Limited, restraining Maddock Films and its associates from releasing the film Bhool Chuk Maaf on any platform—including OTT—until the expiry of an 8-week holdback period following its first theatrical release in India.
The court rejected the defence that PVR had forfeited its right to an injunction by demanding damages. It held that under Section 42 of the Specific Relief Act, a plaintiff may still seek injunctive relief despite having sought compensation in parallel. The court also denied the copyright holder’s argument that ownership allowed them to unilaterally choose the release platform, stating it could not override a concluded contractual agreement.
Read order here
Bombay High Court Rejects Goldmines’ Plea to Restrain Viacom18 from Exploiting Film Rights; Finds No Prima Facie Breach
In Goldmines Telefilms Pvt. Ltd. v. Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd. & Anr., the Bombay High Court refused to grant interim reliefs sought by Goldmines to restrain Viacom18 and its assignee from exploiting satellite and on-demand rights of 19 films under two film assignment agreements. Goldmines alleged that Viacom18 breached contractual clauses by making unauthorized cuts and edits, creating “multiple versions” of the films, and issued termination notices accordingly. The Court, however, held that Viacom18 had prima facie acted within the contractually granted “absolute, complete and unrestricted rights” under Clause 3.11, including internal standard practices for broadcast convenience. It further noted that the alleged breaches were curable and that the termination could not be justified under Section 39 of the Contract Act. The Court found no strong prima facie case, emphasized that damages could compensate Goldmines if it ultimately succeeded, and observed that restraining Viacom18 now would cause irreparable harm. However, the Court directed Viacom18 to maintain and submit revenue accounts from the date of termination.
PIL in Supreme Court Seeks Ban on Commercial Use of ‘Operation Sindoor’
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court of India challenging attempts to trademark the term “Operation Sindoor,” the name of India’s recent military operation against Pakistan. The petitioner, advocate Dev Ashish Dubey, argues that the term embodies national grief and military valor, and its commercial use undermines the dignity of martyrs and the sentiments of their families. The plea highlights that several entities, including Reliance Industries, applied for trademark registration under Class 41, which covers entertainment and education services. Following public outrage, Reliance withdrew its application. The petitioner contends that such attempts exploit public sentiment for commercial gain and violate Section 9 of the Trade Marks Act, 1999, which prohibits registration of terms likely to hurt public sentiment or that lack distinctiveness in a commercial context. The Supreme Court’s decision on this matter is awaited.
Delhi High Court Blocks Unauthorized Streaming of Premier League Matches
The Delhi High Court has issued an injunction against several rogue apps and websites, restraining them from illegally streaming English Premier League football matches. This action was taken following a lawsuit filed by Football Association Premier League Ltd (FAPL), the organizer of the Premier League, to protect its broadcasting rights. The court’s order aims to curb digital piracy and safeguard the intellectual property rights associated with the Premier League’s content.
Read order here
Opinion Trading platforms SportsBaazi, Probo, TradeX banned in Chhattisgarh
In a decisive step against digital betting, the Chhattisgarh Government has informed the High Court that it has issued formal notices to block opinion trading platforms such as Probo, SportsBaazi, and TradeX, categorizing them as online gambling under the Chhattisgarh Gambling Prohibition Act, 2022.
Housefull 5 teaser vanishes from YouTube after ‘copyright claim’; here’s what we know
The teaser was posted on Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment’s YouTube channel on April 30 and had amassed millions of views in the 10 days since. However, by the morning of May 9, it was no longer on YouTube. Upon going to the page, an error message said, “The video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Mofusion Studios.”
Bhavish Aggarwal Seeks To Shift Ola Brand IP To Family Office: Media Reports
Bhavish Aggarwal is planning to transfer the Ola brand’s intellectual property (IP) from ANI Technologies to a holding company owned by his family office, as per a media report. The move is triggering concerns among ANI investors, who fear erosion of value as core assets are shifted out of their reach.
The Ola brand is currently licensed by ANI to Ola Electric, generating royalty revenue. But if the IP is moved, ANI’s stake in the fast-growing electric mobility business could be undermined—especially as investors have no equity in Ola Electric or Aggarwal’s new AI venture, Krutrim.
India panel to review copyright law amid legal challenges to OpenAI
A case in the high court in New Delhi by a group of top Indian news outlets and book publishers who say the firm uses their content without permission to help train its ChatGPT chatbot could reshape how the sector operates in India.
India has set up a panel to review if existing copyright law is sufficient to tackle AI-related disputes, an official memo showed, at a time when OpenAI faces legal challenges stemming from accusations of exploiting copyrighted material.
The memo, which is not public, said the commerce ministry set up a panel of eight experts last month to examine issues related to AI and their implications for India’s copyright law.
Madras HC orders removal of online a/cs misusing images, audio of dancer Anita Ratnam
The Madras High Court has ordered social media platforms Meta and Telegram to remove accounts that have been using the images and audio of renowned dancer Anita Ratnam without authorisation.
Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy issued the interim order recently based on a batch of applications and suits filed by the dancer who has alleged that several persons have used her image and audio in their social media accounts without authorisation for luring the public to make financial investments and thereby have committed infringement of her personality rights. The judge observed that it appears, on a prima facie assessment, the celebrity status and personality rights of the plaintiff have been misused for commercial purposes.
Bombay HC upholds stay on ‘Shaadi Ke Director Karan Aur Johar’ release over personality rights violation
The HC has ordered to continue the ban on the release and promotion of the film. The court ruled in favour of Karan Johar, stating that using his name and personality traits in the film’s title without permission infringed upon his right to control his own identity and image.
During the recent hearing, film producer Sanjay Singh’s lawyer, Ashok Saraogi, asked the court to allow the film’s release if the title was changed, but the bench refused. Instead, they suggested the filmmaker could file a new application with the single judge to explore this option.
Read judgement here
Supreme Court summons comedian Samay Raina, 4 others for alleged insult of disabled persons
The NGO has accused Raina of insensitive remarks on persons with such conditions, high-costing drugs and treatment option for Spinal Muscular Atrophy and also alleged to have ridiculed a person with disability.
The petition filed by M/s Cure SMA Foundation, sought issuance of effective guidelines to safeguard the rights and dignity of the persons with disability in the context of the broadcasting of online content.
Delhi HC stays interim injunction against PS-2 song ‘Veera Raja Veera’ use by AR Rahman
The Delhi High Court stayed an interim injunction against music director A R Rahman and two production companies, under which Rahman and Madras Talkies and Lyca Productions were directed to credit celebrated Dhrupad exponents, the late Ustad Nasir Faiyazuddin and Ustad Nasir Zahiruddin Dagar, in a song in Ponniyin Selvan-2 (PS-2).
Delhi HC refuses to bar Uber from running disparaging IPL ad that allegedly picks on RCB
The Delhi High Court refused to restrain ride-hailing platform Uber India Systems from running a ‘disparaging’ advertisement against Indian Premier League franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on a plea by its owner Royal Challengers Sports (RCS), which had sought an interim injunction.
Justice Saurabh Banerjee dismissed the RCB’s plea for an interim restraint order, saying that the advertisement featuring Travis Head, an Australian cricketer playing for rival IPL team Sunrisers Hyderabad, is in the context of a game of cricket, a game of sportsmanship, which, in the court’s opinion, did not call for any interference of any sort at this stage. Interference by this court at this stage would tantamount to allowing the plaintiff to run on water with assurances of their not falling. Accordingly, the present application is dismissed.
Read order here
Operation Sindoor trademark: Reliance Industries withdraws application; here are 6 others who applied for it
Jio Studios, a Reliance Industries unit, later in a statement clarified the trademark application had been filed inadvertently by a junior person without authorisation and asserted that they have no intention of trademarking Operation Sindoor.
Here’s a list of entities filed for a trademark for Operation Sindoor –
- Mukesh Chetram Agrawal
- Retd. Group Captain Kamal Singh Oberh
- Alok Kumar Kothari
- Prabhleen Sandhu
- Jayaraj T
- Uttam Jaju
Nintendo sues third-party accessory maker for trademark violation, false advertising, and unfair competition
According to new court papers filed in California, USA, Nintendo is suing Genki for alleged trademark infringement, unfair competition, and false advertising, after the latter publicly showcased a “mockup” Switch 2 console in January 2025, months before Nintendo’s formal launch on April 2.
Nintendo is asking for Genki to be ordered to refrain from using its copyrighted marks, including the Nintendo Switch name and logo, to be compelled from making “false representations or statements” in the marketing of its accessories as they relate to their compatibility or integration with Nintendo Switch 2. It also wants Genki to be enjoined by the court to destroy any products or marketing materials that contravnene this copyright.
Levi’s Sues Premier Brands Group Over ‘Large-Scale Counterfeit Trafficking Operation
Levi’s stated that the products allegedly sold by PBG “were of exceeding low quality” and stated that some of the products bore “obvious errors” that should have indicated their status as counterfeits.
Levi’s has asked a judge for a preliminary and permanent injunction that would prohibit PBG, Chartash and the Doe defendants from “further acts of counterfeiting, infringement, dilution and/or unfair competition with respect to LS&Co. And the LS&Co. trademarks.
Trump considering 100% tariffs on movies not made in the US
Trump’s statement did not say whether the tariff would apply to American production companies producing films abroad.
White House spokesman Kush Desai told the BBC: “Although no final decisions on foreign film tariffs have been made, the Administration is exploring all options to deliver on President Trump’s directive to safeguard our country’s national and economic security while Making Hollywood Great Again.”
Several recent major films produced by US studios were shot outside of America, including Deadpool & Wolverine, Wicked and Gladiator II.
It was also unclear if the tariffs would apply to films on streaming services, such as Netflix, as well as those shown at cinemas, or how they would be calculated.
