It has been a busy month in the world of media and entertainment, not just because of the back-to-back releases of blockbuster movies such as ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ but owing to a keen interest by the Information & Broadcasting Ministry in shaping and modifying film and media-related legislation. The...
Background
The Kerala Story has faced continuous litigation and protests all over India ever since its theatrical release on 5 May 2023. The states of West Bengal and Tamil Nadu even went on to cast shadow bans or a complete ban of the screening of the film in theatres state...
Introduction
In India, art and restrictions often cross paths resulting in a constant struggle between freedom of expression and reasonable restrictions. As we enter into the 73rd year of adoption of the Constitution, acts of artistic expressions as subject of censorship are on a rise, reinstating the famous debate of...
CONTROLLING PIRACY OR EXPRESSION? – AN ANALYSIS OF THE CINEMATOGRAPH (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2021
Anushree Rauta -
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, on June 18, 2021, sought comments from the public (“Notification”) (can be accessed here) on the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2021 (“Bill”) which seeks to amend the Cinematograph Act, 1952 (“Act”). The Bill inter alia aims to introduce age-based sub-categories of U/A certification, prohibit...
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RULES 2021- USHERING IN A STRICT REGIME OF INTERNET CENSORSHIP FOR INTERMEDIARIES AND DIGITAL MEDIA
Angad Makkar -
Introduction
On 25 February 2021, the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (the Rules) were notified in the official gazette. While the basic structure of the Rules aligns with that discussed in a previous article on our blog previewing the Rules (available here), a detailed...
GUEST POST: UJJAWAL BHARGAVA THE KERALA POLICE (AMENDMENT) ORDINANCE,2020: AN ATTEMPT TO CENSOR CONTENT?
Lokesh Vyas -
We are pleased to bring to you our next guest post by Ujjawal Bhargava, fourth-year student of the Institute of Law, Nirma University, Ahmedabad. Ujjawal has a keen interest in the subject of Intellectual Property, specifically copyright and trademark laws. He has written for us earlier here .
Recently, the...
GUWAHATI HC SETS ASIDE NOTICE BANNING TELECAST OF “BEGUM JAAN,” A SHOW ALLEGEDLY PROMOTING ‘LOVE JIHAD’
Harshil Dureja -
Begum Jaan, an Assamese TV series based loosely on the theme of 1948 Assamese movie Siraj ran in legal troubles for allegedly promoting ‘Love Jihad’. Siraj was a critically acclaimed movie which was made on the theme of national integration with a message of communal harmony but in 2020,...
MORALIZATION OF CONTENT: CONSTRUCTING POPULAR SUBJECTIVITY OR DECONSTRUCTING COPYRIGHT ETHOS?
Lokesh Vyas -
Martin R. Lemieux’s famous quote “All in the eye of the beholder - Some of the most destructive forces in the world (Fire & Water), can also have the power of beauty.” can have multiple interpretations, however, I see this as epitomizing the beauty of subjectivism and rationalism. It...
KARNATAKA HIGH COURT RULES THAT ONLINE CONTENT CANNOT BE REGULATED UNDER THE CINEMATOGRAPH ACT [READ JUDGEMENT]
Anushree Rauta -
I&B minister Prakash Javadekar recently at an event invited suggestions and recommendations from audience and other stakeholders regarding certification of online content. Last year several cases were filed in different courts of the country again seeking regulation of online content. Read the orders here, here and here.
Recently the Karnataka...
I am pleased to bring to you our next guest post by Ritisha Mukherjee. Ritisha is a young lawyer having recently graduated from Nirma University with specialization in Intellectual Property Rights. She takes keen interest in media and entertainment laws and is currently working at Excel Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.
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