The Supreme Court allows transfer of Illayaraja’s copyright infringement suit againt Sony from Madras High Court to the Bombay High Court
On March 23, the Supreme Court allowed Sony Entertainment’s petition to transfer a copyright litigation filed by music master Dr. Ilaiyaraaja in the Madras High Court to the Bombay High Court. On January 13, 2022, Sony filed a copyright infringement suit in the Bombay High Court, seeking a permanent injunction against Ilaiyaraaja.
The Delhi High Court protects the personality rights of Gautam Gambhir
The Delhi High Court has issued an interim order preserving Gautam Gambhir’s personality rights as coach of the Indian men’s national cricket team. The Court ordered that numerous entities refrain from using Gambhir’s name, image, or likeness without his permission.
The Division Bench of the Madras High Court upholds the order directing filmmaker Gautham Menon to repay the production company over unmade movie
The Madras High Court has dismissed an appeal filed by Director Gautham Vasudev Menon and his company Photon Factory, challenging a single judge’s order directing them to repay Rs. 4.25 crore plus 12% interest to production company RS Infotainment for failing to produce a film as agreed.
Dhurandhar 2 faces controversy in Tamil Nadu
Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge has sparked new controversy as it continues its dream run at the box office. An urgent application has apparently been filed with the Madras High Court, raising concerns over the Model Code of Conduct ahead of the Assembly elections. The petitioner contended that the film’s overt political themes and connections to critical real-world events would unduly influence voters, prompting the court to issue a formal writ petition.
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Jaipur directs the DGP to form a special squad to serve warrant on Salman Khan over Pan Masala advertisement
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (DCDRC) directed the Director General of Police (DGP) to establish a special squad to serve a third bailable warrant on Bollywood actor Salman Khan. The move is related to an ongoing legal action involving an allegedly false advertisement for Rajshree Pan Masala. The commission has emphasized the importance of stringent implementation of the warrant, warning of more serious penalties if Khan fails to appear at the next hearing on April 6. The commission stated that if Khan and Rajshree Pan Masala officials fail to react to this warrant service, non-bailable warrants will be issued against them.
Open AI to shut down the video platform ‘Sora’
OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, is now shutting down its Sora video platform less than a year after its high-profile launch. According to the Wall Street Journal, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman informed employees that the business will stop products based on its video models, including the consumer app, developer version, and video capability within ChatGPT. This decision is part of a larger strategy to refocus resources on business and coding tools as OpenAI prepares for a possible IPO later this year.
Maharashtra government sets up committee to boost innovation and intellectual property
The Maharashtra government has formed a state-level committee to boost the state’s innovation and intellectual property ecosystems. While the number of patents being filed by colleges and universities is increasing, many are intended to improve publishing records for promotions and to supplement ‘academic performance indicators’ (APIs). As a result, these inventions are rarely commercialised or applied in industry. The state committee’s goal is to close the implementation gaps. A government resolution announced the formation of the committee under the chairmanship of Prof Aniruddha Pandit, vice-chancellor of ICT, Matunga, and also enlisted its objectives.
Additional highlights by Anushree Rauta:
Delhi High Court Signals Interim Relief in Mohanlal Personality Rights Case
The Delhi High Court has indicated that it will grant interim protection to actor Mohanlal’s personality rights in a suit alleging widespread unauthorised use of his name, image, voice, and likeness online, including fake endorsements, AI-generated content, voice cloning, and sale of unauthorised merchandise. The Court directed the actor to place the infringing material on record and circulate offending links to all defendants, while also allowing impleadment of additional parties; this follows an earlier withdrawal of his interim plea with liberty to file a fresh application with better particulars. The case reflects growing judicial scrutiny over misuse of celebrity identity in the digital and AI era, with the Court expected to pass interim orders to restrain such violations.
US Jury Holds Meta and Google Liable for Failing to Warn Users of Social Media Risks
In a landmark ruling, a California jury found Meta and Google negligent for failing to adequately warn users about the mental health risks associated with their platforms, Instagram and YouTube, holding that their design and operation contributed to addiction and psychological harm suffered by a young user. The case, centred on a 20-year-old plaintiff, concluded that features such as addictive engagement mechanisms significantly impacted her mental health, with the jury awarding damages and attributing a larger share of liability to Meta. The verdict is being seen as a major legal turning point, potentially opening the door for increased scrutiny and a wave of similar lawsuits against social media companies over user safety and platform design.