Indian Copyright Statistics, Padmaavat Leaked Online, Rajani’s Kaala In Legal Tussle, Enrique Iglesias Sues Universal Music and more is presented by the Copyright and Entertainment Law Attorneys and experts of BananaIP Counsels, India’s Premier New Age IP Firm
COPYRIGHT QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Adhering to standard takedown procedures can mitigate infringement risks for UGC platforms”- Nithin V Kumar
INDIAN COPYRIGHT STATISTICS
There was a decrease of 30.69% in the total number of copyright filings compared to the last week. A total of 182 applications were filed for copyright registration during the last week. While most of the applications were filed for literary works and no application was filed for registering Cinematographic Films.
| Sr. No | Types of work | Number of Applications previous week | Number of Applications this week | Percentage change |
| 1 | Literary Works | 191 | 121 | 44.8% |
| 2 | Musical works | 24 | 17 | 34.1% |
| 3 | Artistic works | 18 | 21 | 15.1% |
| 4 | Cinematograph Films | 1 | 0 | 100% |
| 5 | Sound Recordings | 0 | 2 | 200% |
| 6 | Software | 14 | 21 | 40% |
| Total | 248 | 182 | 30.69% |
INDIAN COPYRIGHTS AND ENTERTAINMENT LAW UPDATES
PADMAAVAT FULL MOVIE LEAKED ONLINE
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s latest period drama, which was released yesterday has already made its way into online piracy. A Facebook page named Jaatoon Ka Adda streamed the entire film live from the theatre. More than 15,000 people have already shared the link and the video has received more than 3.5 lakh views.
RAJANIKANTH’S KAALA IN LEGAL TUSSLE
The Madras High Court on Wednesday issued a notice to superstar Rajinikanth, director Pa Ranjith, and producers of the upcoming film Kaala. The case was filed by an assistant director, Rajasekharan, who claims that the title Kaala Karikaalan is the title of his ambitious project which he had planned to make with Rajini in the lead role at least a decade before the upcoming movie was announced. The complainant alleges that he had narrated the story of the film to the head of Rajanikanth Fans Association some time ago. The court has instructed the producers, actor, and director to respond to the allegations before the next date of hearing.
INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT AND ENTERTAINMENT LAW UPDATES
ENRIQUE IGLESIAS SUES UNIVERSAL MUSIC
Spanish singer-songwriter, Enrique Iglesias filed a breach of contract complaint against Universal Music before the Florida federal court for defaulting royalty. The complaint alleges that Universal has been systematically underpaying Iglesias streaming royalties by calculating royalties at a small fraction of the contractually-required fifty percent (50%) royalty rate. Although the contract between Iglesias and Universal Music clearly states that streaming or downloads will be paid at the same rate as physical sales, the complainant contended that Contract did not prescribe a specific royalty percentage for the ‘streaming’ of Iglesias’ works, despite it explicit recognition under the contract.
LICENSING AND MERCHANDISING UPDATES
BBC PARTNERED WITH ADITYA BIRLA GROUP
Applause Entertainment, a production company of Aditya Birla group, has entered into a partnership with BBC India to develop and produce Indian versions or adaptations of BBC shows like Criminal Justice and The Office. This comes as part of the expansion activities of BBC in India. Earlier this month, we reported that BBC India is partnering with technology companies in India to provide personalized news services.
COPYRIGHT TIP OF THE WEEK
TAKING DOWN FILMS ON FACEBOOK
Taking down infringing films on Facebook, which are streamed from the theatre is quite straightforward. If a well-planned piracy watch and take down strategy is adopted, the source from which the film is being streamed can be taken down by filing a simple form and informing Facebook about the same.
Author: BIP’s Copyright and Entertainment Law Attorneys
Senior Partner, the entertainment law attorneys at BIP are among the well-known lawyers in the field. They work with clients such as Yash Raj Films, Dharma Productions, Ananda Audio, Anushka Sharma, Sushant Singh, and Arka Media (Producer of Bahu Bali). BIP’s entertainment law team helps clients protect, manage and effectively license and merchandise their creative works such as films, music, brands and other content, to maximize financial returns.
The weekly copyright and entertainment law news initiative is a part of their pro bono work, and is aimed at spreading entertainment law awareness. You are free to share the news with appropriate attribution and backlink to the source.
If you have any questions, you may write to BIP’s Copyright and Entertainment Law Attorneys – contact@bananaip.com.
