Bombay High Court Restrains Legends League Cricket from Using PPL’s Repertoire
The Bombay High Court granted an interim injunction in favor of Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL), restraining Legends League Cricket (LLC) from playing copyrighted sound recordings during the 2026 tournament. The court observed that LLC failed to secure the mandatory public performance licenses.
Read order here
Case details – Interim Application (L) No. 27758 of 2025 in Commercial IP Suit (L) No. 27133 of 2025
Delhi High Court Finds Reliance Entertainment in Contempt, Directs Four-Week Imprisonment of Directors for Failure to Comply with Payment Orders
The Delhi High Court held Reliance Entertainment and its responsible officers guilty of wilful disobedience of earlier court orders directing deposit of admitted amounts owed to Super Cassettes Industries (T-Series) under a film financing loan agreement. The dispute arose from a loan of INR 168 crores extended by T-Series for financing six films, where the defendant had acknowledged outstanding amounts but failed to deposit INR 7.42 crores receivable from Zee Entertainment and INR 2.32 crores arising from film revenues within the timeline mandated by the Court. The Court found that the defendant’s reliance on third-party payment obligations did not absolve it of primary liability under the agreement and noted repeated delays and non-compliance with court directions. Consequently, the Court held the company and its directors in contempt, directing them to deposit the remaining shortfall along with interest at 12.5% per annum and imposing a four-week simple imprisonment sentence (suspended for two weeks) subject to payment compliance within the stipulated time.
Read order here.
Case details – CS(COMM) 840/2023; I.A. 815/2024 (Contempt Petition)
MIB Issues Takedown Notice to Telegram Over OTT Piracy
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) issued a formal notice to Telegram demanding the immediate removal of channels facilitating the illegal distribution of high-definition pirated content from platforms like JioCinema and Amazon Prime Video.
Sun TV Sues CSK Over Unauthorized Movie Soundtrack Usage
Sun TV Network initiated legal action against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for using songs from Rajinikanth films like Jailer and Coolie in a jersey promo without a license. CSK has reportedly agreed to stop using the tracks.
Rishi Kapoor’s Family Secures Rights Over Use Of His Name To Prevent Commercial Misuse
Reportedly, the heirs of the late Rishi Kapoor secured personality rights to protect his name, likeness, and voice. This prevents unauthorized commercial exploitation, including the creation of AI deepfakes or merchandising using his persona. (Further details awaited)
Delhi HC Rejects Volkswagen’s Challenge to Maruti’s “TRANSFORMOTION”
Volkswagen AG (Appellant) challenged the registration and use of the trademark “TRANSFORMOTION” by Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. (Respondent). Volkswagen contended that Maruti’s mark was deceptively similar to its own registered trademark “4MOTION” (often marketed as ‘Formotion’), which denotes its proprietary all-wheel-drive (AWD) technology. Volkswagen argued that the shared suffix “MOTION” and phonetic similarity would cause “initial interest confusion” among automotive consumers.
The Delhi High Court dismissed Volkswagen’s challenge against Maruti Suzuki’s trademark “TRANSFORMOTION,” ruling that the marks were visually and phonetically distinct enough to coexist in the Indian market.
Case details – C.A.(COMM.IPD-TM) 30/2024
Supreme Court Stays Defamation Case Over Mamata Banerjee Book Extracts
The petitioner, Koustav Bagchi, a lawyer and political activist, had shared extracts from a book titled “Mamata Banerjee As I Have Known Her” on his Facebook page. The book, authored by former IAS officer Dipak Kumar Ghosh in 2015, contains details regarding the West Bengal Chief Minister’s personal life and marital history.
Although the book has been in the public domain for over a decade and has never been banned or legally challenged by the state, the West Bengal police initiated criminal defamation proceedings against Bagchi for “re-publishing” the content in a digital format.
The Supreme Court stayed criminal defamation proceedings against a lawyer who shared extracts from a book regarding West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s personal life, highlighting the debate over free speech versus reputational harm.
Case details – Diary No. 14612-2026 (Special Leave Petition)
Kerala High Court Notice on Digi Yatra Privacy Concerns
The Kerala High Court issued a notice to the Centre on a PIL alleging that the Digi Yatra facial recognition system lacks a proper legislative framework and violates the right to privacy under the DPDP Act.
CCI Dismisses Dominance Complaint Against BookMyShow
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) closed a complaint against BookMyShow for alleged abuse of dominance, citing that consumers have adequate choices through direct theater sales and other platforms.
Republic TV Journalists Granted Bail in Warship Filming Case
A Kerala court granted bail to two Republic TV journalists arrested for filming an Iranian warship in a restricted zone. The court noted that their devices were seized and no prior criminal record existed.
Nashik Court Quashes Savarkar Defamation Case Against Rahul Gandhi
In a significant legal victory for Member of Parliament Rahul Gandhi, a Nashik court has quashed a defamation case filed against him concerning his 2022 remarks about V.D. Savarkar. The court’s decision followed a negative police inquiry report, which concluded there was insufficient evidence to proceed with the charges under Section 499 (Defamation) of the IPC. The complainant, the Nirbhaya Foundation, subsequently withdrew the case, effectively ending this specific legal challenge in the Maharashtra jurisdiction.
Lavanya Tripathi Initiate Action Against Cyber Crimes
South Indian actor Lavanya Tripathi has taken firm legal stances against online harassment. Tripathi approached the Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police regarding a series of defamatory and derogatory Instagram posts targeting her reputation.
Rashmika Mandanna Initiate Action Against Cyber Crimes
Rashmika Mandanna issued a legal warning following the circulation of a viral, unauthorized audio clip.
ED Chargesheet Filed Against Malayalam Actor Jayasurya
Actor Jayasurya is facing intensified legal scrutiny as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) prepares to file a chargesheet in a multi-crore fraud case. The case centers on the “Save Box” app, a digital scheme that allegedly defrauded numerous investors. Jayasurya, who acted as the face of the platform in various promotional campaigns, is being investigated for his role in lending credibility to the venture, raising critical questions about the legal liability of celebrity brand ambassadors in financial scams.
Chargesheet Filed for Online Abuse of Actor Darshan’s Wife
The Bengaluru police have filed a chargesheet in a criminal case involving the persistent online abuse of Vijayalakshmi, wife of Kannada actor Darshan. The investigation identified several individuals responsible for orchestrating a smear campaign on social media platforms. The legal proceedings emphasize the judiciary’s increasing intolerance for “trolling” that crosses the line into criminal intimidation and defamation of family members of public figures.
Defective Affidavit Stalls Dhruv Rathee Defamation Hearing
The defamation suit filed by BJP’s Suresh Nakhua against YouTuber Dhruv Rathee has faced a procedural bottleneck. A Delhi court was unable to proceed with the hearing after it was discovered that the complainant’s affidavit was “defective.” The notary who attested the document has repeatedly failed to appear before the court to clarify the discrepancies. This procedural delay has postponed the cross-examination.
Katy Perry Loses 15-Year Trademark Battle to Katie Perry
The High Court of Australia ruled in favor of fashion designer Katie Perry, finding pop star Katy Perry infringed on the designer’s trademark. The 15-year battle proves that local trademark seniority can withstand global celebrity status.
Adobe Sued for Trademark Infringement Over “Foundry” AI Tool
The Foundry Visionmongers sued Adobe for using the name “Foundry” for its new AI tool, alleging brand dilution and consumer confusion within the visual effects software industry.
Musicians Sue Google Over AI Music Training
A group of musicians filed a lawsuit against Google, claiming the tech giant used their copyrighted music without consent to train its generative AI models, effectively creating competing outputs.
Korean Supreme Court Rules Upcycling Luxury Bags is Not Infringement
The Korean Supreme Court ruled that “reforming” a genuine Louis Vuitton bag for personal use (e.g., into a wallet) is not trademark infringement, as long as it isn’t sold commercially as an original LV product.
British Authors Challenge Anthropic Over “Stolen” Books
Authors in the UK have challenged Anthropic, alleging the AI company used pirated book datasets to train its “Claude” AI models without providing compensation or credit.
Russia Imposes Advertising Ban on Telegram, Meta, and YouTube
Russia’s antitrust agency confirmed a total ban on advertising on Telegram, Meta, and YouTube, aiming to isolate foreign digital platforms and boost domestic Russian alternatives.
Scottish Greens Propose Liability for X and Facebook
The Scottish Greens unveiled a plan to make X and Facebook directly liable for harmful content on their platforms, pushing for stricter moderation and corporate legal responsibility.
Ed Sheeran Moves to End “Thinking Out Loud” Copyright Case
Lawyers for Ed Sheeran are pushing for a final dismissal of remaining copyright claims after several court victories established that his hit song did not infringe on Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On.”
Major US Publishers Sue Anna’s Archive
Thirteen major publishers sued the shadow library Anna’s Archive, alleging the site is a massive repository of pirated books being used by AI developers for training data.