The Bombay High Court hears Novex v. National Sports Club of India
The Bombay High Court, presided over by Justice Somasekhar Sundaresan, heard an application filed by Novex Communications Private Limited against the National Sports Club of India (NSCI). An event conducted over the preceding three days at NSCI’s “Dome” premises, wherein certain sound recordings of Novex may have been played, following which the petition was filed by Novex. It was contended by NSCI that the premises had been handed over under an Operation and Management Agreement placing compliance obligations under the Copyright Act, 1957 on Defendant No. 2. However, the plaintiff submitted that the defendants could not avoid liability by shifting blame between themselves while flouting court orders.
Further, it was submitted by the defendant that a license application had been submitted to the plaintiff and was awaiting a response, but the Court observed that it merely seemed like a request from the Transport Minister of Maharashtra seeking a complimentary, fee-free license citing the public significance of a three-day programme. The Court observed that this request did not constitute a commercial offer to resolve license fees for the authorized use of the plaintiff’s intellectual property. The Court directed a reply to the additional affidavit to be filed within two weeks.
Case Title: Novex Communications Private Limited v. National Sports Club Of India & Anr.
Case No.: Interim Application (L) No.1708 Of 2025
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AI-Generated Work Can Get Copyright But AI System Cannot Be Author: Indian Copyright Office
The Indian Copyright Office has ruled that an artificial intelligence (AI) system cannot be recognized as an author under the Copyright Act, 1957. While original AI-generated works expressed in tangible forms are eligible for copyright protection, according to the Copyright Office, the non-human software or AI system itself cannot be assigned authorship. Under Section 2(d)(vi) of the Act, the person who causes the computer-generated work to be created is legally considered to be the author.
The finding arose from a case concerning AI researcher and CEO of Imagination Engines, Mr. Stephen Thaler, who had sought for copyright registration for the artwork A Recent Entrance to Paradise, generated by his AI system DABUS. Mr. Stephen Thaler’s has already applied for the registration in across 16 global jurisdictions. He was previously rejected by a US court in March 2025 on the grounds that the US Copyright Act mandates human authorship.
You can read more about it here.
Delhi High Court Appoints Advocate Gautam Bhatia as Amicus Curiae in Janhvi Kapoor Personality Rights Suit
The Delhi High Court has appointed advocate Gautam Bhatia as amicus curiae in a personality rights suit filed by Bollywood actor Janhvi Kapoor. Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani made the appointment to secure independent legal assistance as the court examines the wider legal limits and complexities of personality rights within the digital space.
Janhvi Kapoor had approached the Delhi High Court seeking protection against the unauthorized online exploitation of her personality rights, including impersonation, commercial misuse, and sexually explicit content. While declining a blanket takedown of the 6,884 URLs submitted in the petition, the Court directed the immediate removal of 552 URLs containing prima facie grossly vulgar or pornographic material and instructed Jahnvi Kapoor to segregate the remaining links into sexually explicit content, direct monetization, and indirect commercial misuse.
You can read more about it here.
Bombay High Court Grants Interim Protection to Shruti Haasan Against AI-Generated Deepfakes and Morphed Images
The Bombay High Court has granted an interim injunction to actor Shruti Haasan in a lawsuit filed against multiple entities over the alleged unauthorized use of her identity, which included AI-generated deepfakes, manipulated videos, and unapproved commercial endorsements.
The Court observed that there was a strong prima facie case in her favor, noting that any continued circulation of AI-generated content could cause irreparable damage to Shruti’s goodwill, reputation and commercial interests. The Court recognized the immediate risk to her identity and observing that personality, publicity, and privacy rights possess constitutional protection under Articles 19(1)(a) and 21 of the Constitution of India.
You can read more about it here.
HarperCollins Acquires Rights to Publish Sonia Gandhi’s Memoir “Belonging”
HarperCollins India has acquired the publishing rights in India for Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s forthcoming memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, which is slated for release on November 10. This agreement follows the controversy that a previous publishing deal with Penguin Random House India had fell through due to disagreements over certain contents of the book that the publisher allegedly wanted removed. The memoir promises a deeply personal account of Gandhi’s life, tracing her childhood in post-war Veneto, her marriage to Rajiv Gandhi, and her extensive political journey over the past fifty years. Internationally, it is reported that Alfred A Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House, is the publisher of the book.
You can read more about it here.
Sayani Gupta Files ₹9 Crore Defamation Suit Against Vinita Negi Over ‘Aasmani’ Plagiarism Allegations
Actor Sayani Gupta has filed a ₹9 crore defamation suit before the Mumbai City Civil Court against filmmaker Vinita Negi, entirely denying allegations of copyright infringement and breach of trust related to the short film Aasmani. Gupta’s suit alleges that Negi’s claims are false, misleading, and have caused her substantial professional damage, which notably included the withdrawal of the film from the Indian Film Festival of New Zealand after Negi circulated a “Statement of Support” on social media. In addition to monetary damages, Gupta is seeking the removal of the allegedly defamatory material along with an unconditional public apology and retraction. Earlier, Negi had alleged that the short film was similar to an unfinished documentary titled Prabha, and that both the projects had an elderly woman and a vintage car as the crux of the story.
You can read more about it here.
Broadcast Rules Get Sharper Teeth: MIB Adds Graded Penalties, Eases Some Obligations
Telecommunications (Television, Radio and Associated Services) Rules, 2026, were published on September 2 and the file was 76 pages long, compared with the earlier consultation draft released on June 12. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) revised its proposed regulatory framework for television and radio and introduced a detailed compliance and penalty architecture.
A major addition was Schedule 4, that established a formal hierarchy for civil penalties by classifying violations as non-severe, minor, moderate, or major depending on whether it is a repeat operational offense. However, the MIB also softened certain conditions for renewal, clarifying that the threshold for denying a renewal of a license, which was in the earlier draft set at more than five breaches, would now only apply if the breaches have been formally adjudicated by the competent authority.
You can read more about it here.
