\n| <\/td>\n | Total<\/td>\n | 1740<\/td>\n | 1542<\/td>\n | 198<\/td>\n | Decrease of 11%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nNational News<\/h2>\nHigh Court Rejects Ban while EC Clears ‘PM Narendra Modi’ Biopic, Now CBFC to Decide<\/strong>
\nA plea had been recently filed in the Bombay High Court to bring a ban on the film \u2018PM Narendra Modi\u2019 (biopic) ahead of elections, calling it ‘propaganda’ and a violation the election code of conduct, as it was seen as an advertisement for the BJP. The court had referred the issue to the Election Commission. The Election Commission has recently cleared the release of ‘PM Narendra Modi’ biopic stating that the film has not violated the model code of conduct. Further, the commission said the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) was the competent authority to decide on the matter and directed the CBFC to decide.<\/p>\nThe Madhya Pradesh High Court has rejected a plea seeking ban on the release of the biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The PIL was filed by Congress Seva Dal\u2019s state president Yogesh Yadav. The court opined that since the Election Commission had decided to look into the matter, the court would not interfere in the same at present. In his petition, Yadav had alleged that the biopic would violate the model code of conduct and that the screening of this movie would give an unfair advantage to the BJP in the general election.<\/p>\n PM Narendra Modi, the film, will portray the journey of Narendra Modi from his humble beginnings to becoming the Prime Minister of India. The movie is slated to release on 12th<\/sup> April, 2019.<\/p>\nMadras HC Asks Centre to Issue Ban on TikTok App<\/strong>
\nThe Madurai bench of the Madras High Court recently issued an interim direction to the central government, to prohibit downloading of the TikTok Application on account of pornography and inappropriate content being made available on the platform. The court also sought to prohibit media from displaying TikTok videos as it may showcase disturbing content that degrades Indian culture. The order also states that \u201cObserving that governments of Indonesia and Bangladesh have already banned TikTok and USA has passed \u2018Children Online Privacy Act\u2019 to prevent children from becoming cyber victims, a similar act is necessary in India too.\u201d Taking example of the viral Blue Whale challenge as well as the subsequent suicide of a 17-year-old in Mumbai, the court has urged the centre to take matters involving young persons in a more serious light. The order has also urged the government to answer, \u201cwhether the Union of India will enact a statute, like Children\u2019s Online Privacy Protection Act, enacted by the United States, to prevent the children from becoming cyber\/online victims.\u201d<\/p>\nLucifer Leaked Online Soon After Release<\/strong>
\nPrithviraj Sukumaran\u2019s Malayalam movie, Lucifer, starring Mohanlal, which released last week, was made available on Tamil Rockers website online one day after its release. The movie opened well at the box office, earning about Rs 6.7 crore on the opening day in Kerala, which is the second biggest opening in the state behind \u201codiyan\u201d released in 2018. However, its availability on Tamil rockers within the first week may affect box office earnings over the next few weeks.<\/p>\nInternational News<\/strong><\/h2>\nTwitter Accused of Censorship After Takedown of Anti-Abortion Movie Account<\/strong>
\nSupporters of the new controversial anti-abortion film \u2018Unplanned\u2019 have slammed Twitter for portraying bias on a sensitive issue. The makers of the film as well as the fans have accused Twitter of censorship. Many users reported that a glitch did not allow them to follow the movie\u2019s official page on the site. Twitter had also reportedly taken down the page temporarily. Additionally, when the page was reinstated, many users found that they were no longer following the page. Users reached out on the site to express their dismay over the issue. \u201cNo matter how many times you follow @UnplannedMovie, it comes right off. No one in world believes this was an accident\u201d tweeted one user. A spokesperson for Twitter has attempted to clarify that the\u00a0Unplanned <\/em>account was mistakenly caught in the automated systems for ban evasion after an account linked to it violated the Twitter rules. Twitter adds that it \u201creinstated the account as soon as it was brought to our attention.\u201d Many users believe that the site had this glitch due to the film\u2019s sensitive anti-abortion message, in response to which an official statement read – \u201cWe enforce our rules dispassionately and do not engage in so-called shadow banning [stealthily or partially banning content].\u201d<\/p>\nMercedes Strongly Defends Street Art Infringement Claims<\/strong>
\nMercedes Benz has filed a series of civil suits seeking a judgement to prove that it did not infringe graffiti artists\u2019 work in its campaign to promote the G 500 Series Truck. Back in January 2018, Mercedes had posted a picture on its social media account depicting the latest G 500 car model along with the back drop of street art graffiti located in Detroit. Mercedes claims that all of the artworks were partially blurred in the photographs. Soon after, many artists contacted the company threatening to file suits for copyright infringement. Mercedes said that it took down the image immediately but has still been subject to continued threats and an \u201caggressive shakedown\u201d. In its suits, Mercedes claims non-infringement and fair use. The company has said that the images were shot in \u201can oblique angle designed to draw the viewer\u2019s focus immediately to the G 500, not the mural\u201d and it has thereby \u201ctransformed the aesthetic and meaning\u201d of each of the artworks. The murals \u201ccannot reasonably be perceived to communicate messages about the versatility of the G 500, off-road cars driving in the city, or any other message that substantially overlaps with MBUSA\u2019s Instagram post\u201d, stated a spokesperson for Mercedes. The company seeks an award of costs and fees in each of the cases.<\/p>\nUlta Sued Using Artist\u2019s Work to Sell Face Masks<\/strong>
\nPopular American beauty retailer Ulta has been embroiled in a copyright infringement suit filed by Amsterdam-based artist and designer Dominic Sebastian Metcalfe for allegedly copying his work to use as packaging on face mask products. Metcalfe is a renowned graphical designer and has worked with several big brands like Puma, Nike and Chanel in the past. Back in 2012, he created a series of two-dimensional artworks and titled them as \u2018Holographic Melt\u2019. He put out the artwork on his online portfolio as well as on Tumblr, which he believes is where Ulta had taken the image from. The images have been used without permission on the packaging of Ulta\u2019s \u2018Briteplex Unicorn Masques\u2019. In his complaint, Metcalfe argues \u201cthe elements, colours, composition, arrangement, layout, aesthetic, total look-and-feel, and appearance of [his] artwork and the artwork on [Ulta\u2019s] infringing products are at least substantially similar,\u201d and therefore gives rise to copyright infringement. He goes on to argue that after he alerted Ulta regarding his rights in the design, Ulta \u201cslightly modified [the] artwork,\u201d thereby, creating a similarly \u201cunlawful derivative of [Metcalfe]s] artwork and continued to use [the] derivative, which employs the same overall look and feel as the artwork, in connection with its products and packaging.\u201d\u00a0Metcalfe does not have a copyright registration over the artwork but asserts that since he first published the artwork outside of the United States, he is thus, exempt from the requirement that his work must be registered with the United States Copyright Office prior to the commencement of this action.\u00a0Metcalfe is seeking a court order prohibiting Ulta from using his artwork and also monetary damages, including profits made by Ulta that are attributable to the infringement of his work.<\/p>\nUrban Outfitters Faces Copyright Infringement Claim Over Gender-Neutral Fragrances<\/strong>
\nEris, a budding fragrance company has filed a lawsuit against Urban Outfitters for not only copying its federally registered trademark for a private label perfume collection, but also \u201cdeliberately\u201d copying-and-pasting \u201cmarketing text almost verbatim from [Eris\u2019] website\u201d to sell its mass-market scents.\u00a0\u00a0In the complaint, Eris claims that it has been using the registered trademark \u2018MX\u2019 on its perfume, which has been advertised as an inclusive fragrance suitable for all genders. MX \u2013 pronounced as \u2018mix\u2019 \u2013 is a play on the mixing process used by Eris to create the fragrance. This process involves subtly combining notes that blur the boundaries between conventional binary \u2018his\u2019 and \u2018her\u2019 scents. In addition, the name is \u201ca reference to the gender-free honorific \u2018Mx\u2019 that is often used by nonbinary people in lieu of \u2018Mr.\u2019 or \u2018Ms.\u2019\u201d Eris\u2019 complaint states that both Urban Outfitters and its distributor Maesa co-opted the registered trademark name \u2018Mx\u2019 trademark for use on their own \u2018counterfeit\u2019 fragrances, thereby giving rise to trademark infringement. Additionally, in an attempt to pass off on Eris\u2019 goodwill, Urban Outfitters has also advertised marketing material taken directly from [Eris\u2019] website and marketing materials.\u00a0Eris has called out Urban Outfitters and Maesa for their \u2018intentionally fraudulent, malicious, wilful, and wanton\u2019 conduct. Eris argues that, by way of Urban Outfitters\u2019 \u201ccombined use of [Eris\u2019] trademark and promotional copy,\u201d it is demonstrating \u201ca clear, intentional scheme to unlawfully benefit from wilful infringement of [Eris\u2019] intellectual property and unfairly compete\u201d and \u2026 a \u201cdeliberate intent to create a false impression as to the source and sponsorship of [the Urban Outfitters] products.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Eris claims trademark infringement, unfair competition and false designation of origin, and copyright infringement and seeks a court order prohibiting Urban Outfitters from using any of their intellectual property and also relative monetary damages.<\/p>\nLicensing and Merchandising News<\/b><\/h2>\nGame of Thrones Creators Ink Licensing Deal with Whiskey Company<\/strong>
\nThe producers of the very successful \u2018Game of Thrones\u2019 have partnered with Diageo PLC to curate different whiskey products just in time for the final season. The latest collection of the single malt scotch whiskey will have seven different varieties \u2013 depicting the seven different kingdoms as portrayed on the show. For example, House Stark has been paired with Dalwhinnie Winter\u2019s Frost. Dalwhinnie, known for being one\u00a0of\u00a0the highest distilleries in all\u00a0of\u00a0Scotland is cold and remote much like The North where House Stark calls home, making the two an ideal pairing. \u201cWe\u2019re excited that the\u00a0Game of Thrones<\/em>\u00a0Single Malt Scotch Whisky Collection will be hitting shelves in more countries around the world,\u201d said Pedro Mendonca, Global Reserve Marketing & Malts Director. \u201cWe are always trying to find fun and interesting ways to introduce our Scotch portfolio and what better way than partnering with\u00a0Game of Thrones<\/em>, one of the most successful TV series ever created.\u201d The whiskey collection is now available for purchase.<\/p>\nSony Sells Stake in Crackle and Invests in Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment<\/strong>
\nSony Pictures Television has inked a deal with Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment to release a joint venture \u2013 called Crackle Plus. CSS Entertainment will own the majority of the new company, and Sony will in turn receive 4 million five-year warrants to purchase Class A common stock of CSS Entertainment at various price points. Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Mike Hopkins and CSS Entertainment chairman and CEO Bill Rouhana have both expressed intent to create a successful collaboration. \u201cWe look at the AVOD [ad-supported video-on-demand] market as being ripe for innovation,\u201d Hopkins said. Sony will contribute Crackle\u2019s U.S. brand, its user base, and its advertising business to the joint venture. Sony Entertainment\u2019s service will provide the back-end tech for the joint venture, and Sony Pictures Television is also licensing movies and TV shows from the Sony Pictures catalog to add to Crackle Plus. On the other hand, CSS Entertainment will contribute its own ad-supported video services Popcornflix, Truli, Popcornflix Kids, Popcornflix Comedy, Frightpix, and Espanolflix, as well as the subscription video services company Pivotshare. Rouhana said Popcornflix and Crackle would remain unchanged for the time being, but that there would likely be some changes to the two services over time. Crackle Plus will have access to over 38,500 hours of programming and will serve close to 10 million monthly active users across its services, who collectively stream over 1.3 billion minutes per month. \u201cWe think it\u2019s a big opportunity,\u201d Hopkins said.<\/p>\nIPL Licensing News<\/strong>
\nKolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has granted digital mandate to Gozoop and video content mandate to What Works.\u00a0Gozoop will be taking on the responsibility of digital and content creation duties for the brand as well as curating a range of video offerings extending throughout the season. What Works has been retained after its successful stint with KKR last year and will be taking charge of creating engagement and affinity for the team on the digital medium with content assets created for different platforms. These platforms will be working to ensure KKR spearheads through the clutter of IPL communications during the season as well as support the brand to communicate with fans and audiences effectively through campaigns, activations and real-time engagement during live matches.<\/p>\nSnapchat has found a favourable business opportunity in the IPL 2019 frenzy. \u00a0Snapchat\u00a0has partnered with four IPL teams to bring the latest\u00a0behind-the-scenes updates with the Augmented Reality lenses, and Our Stories feature for followers of the tournament. The social media company has collaborated with\u00a0Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders for the entire season. Viewers will just have to follow the teams on their official social media accounts. All these official accounts will be posting updates and followers can just opt-in to receive the latest notifications on their devices when a post is published. Additionally, CricTracker and Sportskeeda will also\u00a0launch on Snapchat\u2019s Discover section to provide latest updates.
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