This week’s copyright, media and entertainment law updates are as below:
Producers of Rambo V: Last Blood File for Copyright Infringement
The U.S. District Court, denying the motion of the defendant, RCN Telecom Services LLC, to dismiss, allowed the petitioners, the dozen copyright owners of the movie Rambo V: Last Blood, to proceed with the suit of copyright infringement. Defendant, an internet provider, allegedly failed to terminate the accounts of internet users pirating the movies over BitTorrent networks. The ruling comes…
This week's copyright, media and entertainment law updates are as below:
Songwriters signed away their right to sue for "Shake It Off"
Taylor Swift provided sworn testimony in one of the several copyright infringement litigations she has been involved in over "Shake It Off" in August. The Artist’s lawyers now claim that the plaintiffs waived their right to sue when they signed publication contracts years ago. Taylor Swift stated, among other things, that she "had never heard the song Playas Gon'…
This is a weekly post on copyright and entertainment law updates.
Meta Responds to Copyright Infringement Lawsuit by Epidemic Sound
Swedish Music Label, Epidemics Sound AB has accused Meta of violation of several thousand copyrights held by Epidemics Sound AB by allowing the users to stream, download and incorporate the sound recordings in their videos, on the music libraries of platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. Meta, in response has filed a motion to dismiss the case, alleging that Epidemic Sound’s…
This is a weekly post on copyright and entertainment law updates.
Ajay Devgan’s ‘Thank God’ faces backlash over religious concerns
An Uttar Pradesh-based lawyer has recently instituted a suit against the Indra Kumar, the director of the film ‘Thank God’, and the actors Ajay Devgan and Siddharth Malhotra, stating that the upcoming movie is likely to hurt religious sentiments. The suit was filed after the trailer of the film depicted Ajay Devgan portraying the Hindu deity Chitragupta, and allegedly using foul…
This is a weekly post on copyright and entertainment law updates.
Zee sues Rajat Sharma, India TV for airing episode of late Bal Thackeray
Zee Media Corporation Ltd filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against journalist Rajat Sharma and his news programme India TV, alleging that India TV had aired, without authorization, an old footage of late Shiv Sena chairman Bal Thackeray. It was claimed that the impugned footage was taken from a 1993 episode of Zee Media’s program ‘Aap Ki Adalat’,…
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Interim injunction granted against piracy of Brahmastra
The Delhi High Court, on 2nd September, granted an ex-parte relief to Star India Pvt. Ltd., in relation to its upcoming movie ‘Brahmastra Part One: Shiva’ starring Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, by granting an injunction against the website www.7MovieRulz.TC. Star Movies had filed the case, anticipating that the defendant would upload a pirated version of the highly anticipated film ‘Brahmastra’ to the…
This is a weekly post on copyright and entertainment law updates.
Paramount Pictures sues company over ‘McDowell’s’ Pop-Up Restaurant
In celebrating the fictional restaurant from the universe of the blockbuster 1988 film “Coming to America”, a pop-up restaurant chain ‘JMC’ inadvertently offended production house Paramount Pictures, who is now claiming infringement of its intellectual property before the Copyright Claims Board on 24 August 2022. Paramount alleged that JMC, in running the McDowell’s Pop-Up restaurant, has copied several of the elements from…
This is a weekly post on copyright and entertainment law updates.
Shamshera’s OTT release impeded buy Delhi HC
Ranbir Kapoor’s recent film Shamsher, which was theatrically released in July 2022, has received an unfavourable order from the Delhi High Court, whereby the producer, Yash Raj Films, has been instructed to deposit an amount of Rs. 1 Crore with the High Court prior to releasing the film on OTT platforms. The present suit was instituted by an individual, Bikramjeet Singh Bhullar, who…
Facts
Plaintiff No. 2 was a wholly owned Indian subsidiary of Plaintiff No. 1, a water pump manufacturing company incorporated in USA. Defendant No. 1 was also a water pump manufacturing company registered under the Companies Act, 2013 and Defendants Nos. 2, 3 and 4 were former employees of Plaintiff No. 2.
The Plaintiffs had received engineering drawings via e-mail from the Defendant company, requesting for a reasonable quote for development of investment cast dies. The drawings in the mail were…
Facts:
The Petitioner, Phonographic Performance Ltd., a company registered under the Companies Act, 1956, was a registered copyright society. It had assigned the copyright in various sound recordings for communication to the public in the area of public performance and broadcast, through which it owned/controlled the public performance rights of more than 350 music companies with 3 million international and domestic sound recordings. It provided a single window for various parties seeking a license for authorised use of sound recordings.…