Indian Copyright Statistics, UGC approved regulations on plagiarism, Emraan Hashmi’s Cheat India in copyright trouble, Sony Music issues legal notice to T-Series, Stranger Things creators accused of copyright infringement, Star Sports bags BCCI media rights and more are 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
“It is hard to see how the Copyright Office can rise to the many challenges of the 21st Century that you do without dramatically more independence and dramatically more flexibility.”- Ted Deutch
INDIAN COPYRIGHT STATISTICS
There was a decrease of 24.21% in the total number of copyright filings compared to the last week. A total of 144 applications were filed for copyright registration during the last week. While most of the applications were filed for literary works and only one application was filed for registering Sound Recordings.
| Sr. No | Types of work | Number of Applications previous week | Number of Applications this week | Percentage change |
| 1 | Literary Works | 112 | 94 | 16.7% |
| 2 | Musical works | 23 | 21 | 8.7% |
| 3 | Artistic works | 32 | 15 | 53.17% |
| 4 | Cinematograph Films | 1 | 2 | 100% |
| 5 | Sound Recordings | 0 | 1 | |
| 6 | Software | 22 | 11 | 4.7% |
| Total | 190 | 144 | 24.21% |
INDIAN COPYRIGHTS AND ENTERTAINMENT LAW UPDATES
UGC APPROVED REGULATIONS ON PLAGARISM
The University Grants Commission approved the Draft UGC (Promotion of Academic Integrity and Prevention of Plagiarism in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations 2018. According to this Draft Regulation, a teacher whose research paper is plagiarised between 40 to 60 percent will be debarred from supervising Masters/Phd or Mphil students for two years. Moreover, a teachers whose research papers is plagiarised over 60 percent can be either suspended or dismissed. The Draft Regulation will be notified after receiving approval from the HRD Ministry.
EMRAAN HASMI”S CHEAT INDIA IN COPYRIGHT TROUBLE
Emraan Hasmi’s maiden production Cheat India landed in copyright trouble after the Delhi based film-makers, Dinesh Gautam and Imran Zahid accused it of copyright infringement. The filmmakers claimed that Cheat India’s storyline is copied from their film titled Marksheet. They alleged that they have earlier shared their story with producer and director Mahesh Bhatt, who is associated with the film Cheat India. The filmmakers have filed an official complaint with the Writers’ Association.
SONY MUSIC ISSUES LEGAL NOTICE TO T-SERIES
The Mirror reported that Sony Music India has issued a legal notice to the producers and music partners of Tiger Shroff’s Baaghi 2. The Notice alleged that the producers and their Music Partner T-Series used the hit song “Mundiyan To Bach Ke Rahim” in the film without taking permissions from Sony. “We have not given permission to T-Series and have already issued a takedown notice to them” said Sony India’s spokesperson in his statement.
INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT AND ENTERTAINMENT LAW UPDATES
Stranger Things Creators accused of copyright infringement
The Netfilix hit series Stranger Things’ creators the Duffer Brothers are being sued by director, Charlie Kessler who claims that they lifted the ideas for the Series from his 2012 short film. Charlie Kessler claims that he screened his short film titled Montauk to the Duffer Brothers in 2014 with the hope of developing it into a full-length feature film. Charlie Kessler alleges that Stranger Things features a number of elements that are similar to his film Montauk including children with enhanced thoughts and ability and a military facility that carries out experiments on humans and a monstrous create from another dimension.
LICENSING AND MERCHANDISING NEWS
Star Sports Bags BCCI Media Rights
Broadcasting giant Star India on Thursday bagged the media rights of the Indian national team’s home series as well as domestic cricket for the next five years. Star has successfully overtook the bids of Sony and Reliance Jio for the Global Consolidated Rights for all tournaments starting from April 2018 to March 2023.
COPYRIGHT TIP OF THE WEEK
Before filing a copyright infringement suit, it is advisable to conduct a comprehensive comparison of both works to ensure that the infringing work is substantially similar to the original work. Mere copying of a theme or concept would not give rise to copyright infringement.
