Delhi High Court Rules Gurbani Recitation Covered Under Religious Exception
The Delhi High Court declined to grant an ad-interim injunction sought by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to restrain private channel Galactic Television and Communications from telecasting live Gurbani from the Golden Temple. Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani observed that performing sacred scripture as a devotional musical recital for bona fide religious purposes without commercial charge does not prima facie constitute copyright infringement under the Copyright Act, 1957. While leaving the injunction plea pending, the court issued summons to further examine broadcast reproduction rights under Section 37 during upcoming hearings scheduled for September 24.
T-Series Renames Kartik Aaryan Film to Resolve Aashiqui Trademark Action
In trademark proceedings initiated by Vishesh Films over the proposed title Tu Hi Aashiqui, T-Series informed the Delhi High Court that it will rename its upcoming Kartik Aaryan and Sai Pallavi starrer to Tu Meri Zindagi Hai. Vishesh Films had claimed exclusive rights over the word “Aashiqui” based on the 1990 and 2013 franchise releases, while T-Series argued joint trademark ownership stemming from co-production agreements and noted “Aashiqui” is a generic Hindi word. Justice Jyoti Singh deferred recording a full consent decree after the parties split over whether the settlement should restrict future usage, directing out-of-court negotiations ahead of an August 31 hearing.
Madras High Court Grants Dynamic Anti-Piracy Injunction for Batwara 1947
Justice K. Surender of the Madras High Court issued an interim anti-piracy injunction for Aamir Khan Productions’ feature film Batwara 1947, directing Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and telecom operators to block access to unauthorized websites and torrent networks illegally streaming the release. The court recognized that unauthorized online distribution causes irreversible commercial injury to production houses during theatrical windows. To protect legitimate digital businesses from overbroad blocking orders, the injunction was conditioned on the production house indemnifying network operators against potential business losses until the next hearing on September 11.
Bombay High Court Enjoins Pune Club from Unlicensed Music Performance
The Bombay High Court issued an interim injunction restraining a commercial hospitality venue and nightlife club associated with actor Sanjay Dutt from publicly playing copyrighted sound recordings. The court ruled that venue owners and event management companies must obtain performance licenses and clear public performance royalties with copyright owner collectives prior to organizing commercial events, holding that unlicensed public broadcasts constitute a direct breach of the Copyright Act.
Delhi High Court Questions Generational Scope of Family Reputation in Aaradhya Bachchan Suit
Hearing an omnibus personality protection application filed by Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai on behalf of their minor daughter Aaradhya against defamatory YouTube videos and health rumors, the Delhi High Court raised fundamental legal questions regarding publicity law. Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani questioned whether family reputation functions like trademark goodwill and how far inherited legacy extends across generations under passing-off law. Citing concerns over the uncontrolled expansion of personality rights claims, the court framed specific issues on whether defamation or fake news can automatically be classified as an intellectual property violation, fixing formal arguments for September 15.
Amruta Khanvilkar & Himanshu Malhotra Issue Cease-and-Desist Notice Against Media Speculation over separation
Actors Amruta Khanvilkar and Himanshu Malhotra issued an official cease-and-desist notice through their legal team targeting digital news outlets, content aggregators, and social channels circulating unverified reports regarding an alleged 18-month marital separation. The notice highlights that while fundamental rights to free speech are respected, abusing journalistic freedom to publish unverified rumors violates fundamental privacy rights and constitutes actionable civil and criminal defamation under Indian law. The legal team confirmed all offending URLs are actively being documented to pursue formal court action.
Delhi High Court Issues Takedown Orders for Obscene Media & Merchandise of Khushi Kapoor
Justice Jyoti Singh of the Delhi High Court passed an interim injunction protecting the personality and publicity rights of actor Khushi Kapoor. The court mandated the immediate removal of AI-morphed explicit images and pornographic content across social platforms, while ordering the takedown of unauthorized e-commerce listings selling commercial merchandise using her name, image, and visual likeness. The order also granted broad “John Doe” (Ashok Kumar) protection against unidentified domain registrants and online vendors.
Delhi High Court Directs Explicit Takedown for Janhvi Kapoor, Refuses Blanket Ban on Fan Pages
In a parallel personality protection proceeding for actor Janhvi Kapoor, the Delhi High Court directed social media platforms to remove explicit, obscene, and deepfake content targeting the actor. However, Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani explicitly refused to issue blanket blocking orders against legitimate fan accounts, commentary channels, or meme pages, ruling that non-commercial fan participation and public engagement do not violate an individual’s publicity or privacy rights.
Maharashtra FDA Issues Notices to Top Actors Over Vimal Elaichi Campaign
The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued formal show-cause notices under Section 24(1) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 to actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, and Tiger Shroff over their 2024 Vimal Elaichi ad campaign. The regulator alleges the campaign constitutes prohibited surrogate advertising for Vimal Pan Masala—a gutkha-adjacent tobacco product banned from sale in Maharashtra. Section 24 bars misleading food advertisements and carries penalties up to ₹10 lakh, requiring the actors to remove promotional material from their social channels and submit formal justifications to the authority.
Delhi High Court Demands Meta’s Eligibility Policy for Content Rights Manager Tool
Hearing a petition filed by digital creator Mohit Kumar, the Delhi High Court ordered Meta to place its internal access criteria and policies for its automated “Rights Manager” tool on legal record. Scammers had hijacked Kumar’s original content, registered it on Meta’s Rights Manager system, and issued copyright strikes against his official account, causing his monthly views to drop from 80 million to 300,000 while his applications for the tool were repeatedly denied. Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani criticized Meta’s system for “giving the key to the robber,” demanding structural fixes alongside the immediate restoration of all wrongfully deleted content.
MIB Clarifies Separate 2-Minute PSA Windows for Centre & State Governments in Cinemas
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) issued an official memorandum clarifying its November 2023 guidelines regarding Public Service Awareness (PSA) films in movie theaters. The ministry established that the 2-minute cap applies independently to the Central Government and State Governments, allowing cinema exhibitors to screen a 2-minute Central PSA and a 2-minute State PSA separately within designated pre-show or intermission windows. The memorandum also permits shorter PSAs (under 60 seconds) to be repeated across both windows provided the total aggregate duration per government tier does not exceed two minutes.
MIB Agrees to Abolish 10+2 Minute Television Advertising Cap
Information & Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed a delegation from the News Broadcasters Federation (NBF) that the government has agreed to abolish the statutory 10+2 advertising cap, which previously restricted television channels to 12 minutes of ad inventory per clock hour. Broadcasters argued that strict ad caps placed linear television at a severe disadvantage against digital streaming services and social media platforms, which operate without statutory ad inventory limits. The policy shift moves Indian television broadcasting toward a market-driven advertising model to support rising operational costs.
Supreme Court Quashes FIRs Against Samay Raina & Comedians Over Disability Jokes
The Supreme Court of India quashed multiple criminal FIRs registered across states against stand-up comedian Samay Raina and four fellow performers regarding jokes about persons with disabilities during an online show. The apex court held that while comedic speech should maintain sensitivity, invoking criminal prosecution for satirical performance art inappropriately expands penal law and creates an unconstitutional chilling effect on free expression.
Madras High Court Quashes Money-Laundering Action Against YouTuber Karthik Gopinath
The Madras High Court quashed criminal proceedings and money-laundering charges against YouTuber Karthik Gopinath regarding allegations of misappropriating crowd-funded donations collected for temple restoration. The court ruled that using voluntary public donations for their declared charitable purpose fails to satisfy the statutory elements of criminal breach of trust or cheating, affirming that transparent crowd-funding does not constitute a criminal offense.
Delhi High Court Directs Formulation of Disability Accessibility Policy for OTT & Cinema
The Delhi High Court issued directions to the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), and film producer associations to establish binding guidelines mandating accessibility features across theatrical releases and digital streaming platforms. The decision requires industry bodies to incorporate audio descriptions, closed captioning, and sign-language interpretation tracks for visually and hearing-impaired audiences.
Google Confirms Geoblocking of Dhruv Rathee Video Following High Court Notice
Counsel for Google informed the High Court that it has geo-blocked and withheld a YouTube video by digital creator Dhruv Rathee within Indian territory following legal notices alleging religious disparagement. Google confirmed platform compliance under domestic IT intermediary regulations while substantive proceedings regarding platform liability continue.
Delhi High Court Evaluates Evidentiary Burden in Saregama v. Ilaiyaraaja
In an ongoing music rights dispute between label Saregama and composer Ilaiyaraaja, the Delhi High Court issued interim observations regarding the chain-of-title documentation required to establish ownership over legacy film sound recordings versus underlying musical compositions. The court addressed the evidentiary standards needed to validate decades-old film assignment deeds when exploiting music across modern digital streaming platforms.
Bengaluru Police Register Forgery FIR Involving Cult.fit Trademark Transfer
Bengaluru Police registered a criminal FIR against former co-founders of Cult Fitness following allegations by co-founder Deepak Poduval that forged equity documents were submitted to the Registrar of Companies. The complaint alleges that forged signatures were used to extinguish his 50% equity stake and unlawfully transfer the core “Cult” trademark to CultFit Healthcare prior to corporate restructuring and listing activities.
Australia Reworks News Media Bargaining Framework for Big Tech
In a major regulatory overhaul introduced to Parliament, the Australian government updated its news media licensing legislation to compel digital platforms—including Meta, Google, TikTok, and Microsoft’s LinkedIn—to negotiate commercial revenue-sharing deals with at least eight domestic news publishers. Under the revised framework, platform levy liability is capped at 2.5% of their Australian advertising revenue, and any single commercial deal is capped at 25% of that liability to ensure funding spreads across diverse newsrooms. Additionally, 5% of all funds raised will be allocated directly to the non-profit newswire service Australian Associated Press (AAP) to preserve public-interest journalism.
Shein Loses UK Copyright Lawsuit Against Competitor Temu Over Clothing Imagery
Fast-fashion retailer Shein lost its high-profile UK copyright infringement lawsuit against rival platform Temu in the High Court of England and Wales. The court dismissed Shein’s claims alleging that Temu unlawfully copied and hosted its proprietary product photographs and garment designs across its e-commerce platform. The ruling marks a major legal victory for Temu amid ongoing global intellectual property disputes and market-share battles between the two digital retail giants.
UK High Court Grants Summary Judgment in Peppa Pig v. Wolfoo Sound IP Dispute
The High Court of England and Wales granted summary judgment in favor of Hasbro and Astley Baker Davies Ltd. against SConnect in a copyright infringement suit involving sound recordings used in the Wolfoo animated series. Relying on unchallenged spectrographic acoustic analysis that demonstrated exact waveform matching between Peppa Pig character audio and Wolfoo episodes, the court rejected SConnect’s defense that an independent contractor copied the audio without management’s knowledge. The judgment establishes that copyright infringement is a strict liability act, meaning third-party content outsourcing does not insulate digital platform owners or directing corporate officers from personal legal liability.
Selena Gomez Fraud Lawsuit Spotlights Commercial Valuation of Celebrity Founders
A fraud lawsuit involving Rare Beauty founder Selena Gomez has drawn intense judicial scrutiny over the commercial valuation and legal liabilities attached to celebrity-backed consumer brands. The court proceedings highlight how direct celebrity involvement, personality rights, and active founder representations heavily influence business equity valuations, setting new legal precedents around investor expectations and brand accountability when celebrity figures are inextricably linked to commercial ventures.
