This is a weekly post on copyright and entertainment laws.
FIR filed against creators of ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’
In light of the various controversies surrounding Paramount Pictures’ latest release, ‘Lala Singh Chaddha’, the creators of the film, as well as some of the leading actors, have recently become the subject of a First Information Report filed before the Commissioner of Delhi Police. The FIR alleges that the film contains certain scenes, dialogues, and plot lines, which are violative of Sections 153, 153A, 298, and 505 of the Indian Penal Code, which deal with various offences relating to hurting religious sentiments. The FIR also specifically alleged that the film was “disrespecting the Indian Army and hurting Hindu sentiments”.
Universal Music sues energy drink for infringement over Tik-Tok videos
In a case filed before a Federal Court of Florida, Universal Music had alleged that the manufacturer of the energy drink ’Bang’ had infringed Universal’s copyrights, by publishing over 140 Tik-Tok videos advertising the Bang energy drink, incorporating music from some of the label’s biggest artists, without any license or permission. Bang’s lawyers initially contended that the company believed the usage of such music was permitted, as it was covered under Tik-Tok’s license with Universal Music. The Court, however, drew a distinction between personal use and commercial use of copyrighted music, and held that advertisements posted by Bang were not covered under Tik-Tok’s license.
Amazon restrained from selling pirated books
In a recent order by the Delhi High Court, e-commerce giant Amazon has been restrained, via an ex-interim order, from publishing, selling, or otherwise supplying pirated copies of a book titled ‘Law of Torts’ originally published by Allahabad Law Agency. The plaintiff, Allahabad Law Agency, had acquired the copyright over the book from the late author, Dr. RK Bangia, vide an assignment deed executed in 1968. The suit was filed after the plaintiff received complaints from customers regarding the poor quality of copies of the said title, purchased from e-commerce websites, mainly Amazon.
Authored and compiled by Varun Gopala Krishnan (Associate, BananaIP Counsels).
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