Delhi High Court Refuses Japan Tobacco's Plea To Remove 'CAMEL COLLECTION' Copyright Registration

The Delhi High Court has dismissed a petition by Japan Tobacco Inc. seeking removal of a 1997 copyright registration for the “CAMEL” and “CAMEL COLLECTION” artistic work held by garment company The Central Wearhouse. Justice Tushar Rao Gedela held that Japan Tobacco had failed to establish that it was the “First Owner” of the original artistic work under Section 17 of the Copyright Act, 1957. The court observed that trademark registrations or claims of prior use, by themselves, could not...

Wholesale Reproduction Of ANI Videos On YouTube Not Fair Dealing: Delhi High Court Restraints RSY News

The Delhi High Court has held that the wholesale reproduction of ten news videos of multimedia news agency ANI on YouTube cannot be regarded as fair dealing for reporting current events when the copied material operates as a substitute for the original works. The court directed Patna-based RSY News to take down the infringing content from all platforms, including its four YouTube channels. Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav, in a judgment dated September 29, 2026, permanently restrained RSY...

Madras High Court Refuses To Restrain Worldwide Release Of Hindi 'Drishyam 3,' Finds Remake Rights Disputed

The Madras High Court has recently refused to restrain the worldwide release and exploitation of the Hindi remake of Malayalam film Drishyam 3, starring Ajay Devgn. It held that Rajkumar Theatres had not clearly established that it continued to hold an exclusive or joint copyright in the Hindi remake rights.Justice K. Govindarajan Thilakavadi dismissed Rajkumar Theatres' application on October 1, 2026. The company had sought interim protection against the film's release pending...

Gujarat High Court Refuses To Quash Case Over Fake Honda Parts, Says Logo Can Be Copyrighted

On 30 September, the Gujarat High Court refused to quash a criminal case against businessman Atul Bhalerao Patil over the seizure of counterfeit Honda scooter accessories and 250 loose stickers bearing the Honda Wing Logo. Justice P. M. Raval dismissed Patil's petition after police seized duplicate Honda Activa accessories worth over Rs. 7 lakh, including goods worth Rs. 4,65,650 from his unit in Ahmedabad, along with the stickers. The Bench observed: “Where the accused is found in possession...

'Why Are You Fighting Unnecessarily?': Supreme Court Declines Ilaiyaraaja's Challenge In 'En Iniya Pon Nilave' Copyright Dispute

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to interfere with music composer Ilaiyaraaja's challenge against the Delhi High Court's dismissal of his review petition in the copyright dispute concerning the song “En Iniya Pon Nilave” from the Tamil film Moodu Pani. The Delhi High Court's Single Judge held that while Ilaiyaraaja retained certain rights in the musical work, he had no copyright in the sound recording or lyrics and therefore could not assign those rights to Vels. The Division Bench...

Delhi High Court Grants JioStar Relief Against Rogue Websites Streaming India-West Indies Cricket Series

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday granted JioStar a temporary injunction against rogue websites illegally streaming its coverage of the ongoing India-West Indies cricket series, allowing it to have newly discovered pirate sites blocked without approaching the court afresh each time.The court limited this relief to websites carrying content identical to what it has already found infringing.Justice A.J. Bhambhani allowed the relief in Jiostar's plea.JioStar's counsel explained why an...

Gujarat High Court Quashes FIR Over Cable Operators, Says Spillover Beyond Area Is Regulatory Dispute

The Gujarat High Court on 24 September quashed an FIR against cable operators accused of transmitting Zee and Turner pay channels beyond their licensed area, holding that the dispute concerned regulatory and commercial conditions rather than criminal copyright infringement. Justice P. M. Raval held that transmitting cable signals across regulatory boundaries created under administrative and telecom regulations did not, by itself, constitute a criminal offence under the Copyright Act, 1957. The...

Delhi High Court Issues Notice To JioStar On Zee Entertainment's Contempt Plea Over Copyrighted Music

The Delhi High Court has issued notice on a contempt application filed by Zee Entertainment against JioStar India, alleging continued violation of an injunction order restraining use of Zee's copyrighted music.Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani cautioned JioStar against any further non-compliance with the May 2026 order in the meantime, while directing Zee to hand JioStar a specific list of works it says are still being used without authorisation, so these can be verified and taken down.The dispute...

Supreme Court Declines To Interfere With HC Order Refusing ITC Interim Relief In 'DAKSHIN' Mark Dispute

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to interfere with the Delhi High Court's order dismissing ITC Limited's appeal seeking to restrain Adyar Gate Hotels Limited from using the “DAKSHIN” trademark for its standalone Chennai restaurant.A bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan dismissed ITC's Special Leave Petition, finding no reason to interfere with the Delhi High Court's order.“As the suit is at large and the impugned order is only an interim order, we do not find any reason to...

'There Should Be A Separate 'META Court': Delhi HC Judge Jests As Another Instagram Copyright Case Lands In Court

The Delhi High Court judge hearing a copyright dispute involving a content creator and Meta remarked in jest that “there should be a separate court, a META court, funded by META” after yet another Instagram copyright-strike dispute came up before the court.Justice A.J. Bhambhani made the oral remark while hearing Jitender Singh's suit against Meta and other defendants over copyright strikes on his Instagram account.The court declined to pass a blanket order protecting Singh from future copyright...

Delhi HC Dismisses Challenge To Copyright Suit Over Rajasthan Temple Made To Look Like Guruji's Bade Mandir

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed a challenge to a Saket commercial court order refusing to reject a copyright and passing-off suit filed by Guruji Ka Ashram Trust over allegations that a temple-like structure in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, imitates its Bade Mandir in Delhi.P.J. Sikand, who operates the Rajasthan premises, had sought rejection of the Trust's suit at the preliminary stage. Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav observed that the objections raised by Sikand required...

Delhi High Court Sets Aside Copyright Registration For 'Radhey Radhey Barsane Wali Radhey'

The Delhi High Court on 8 September set aside a 2020 copyright registration for the sound recording “Radhey Radhey Barsane Wali Radhey” after finding that the Registrar had granted the registration without prior notice to a rival claimant. Justice Jyoti Singh allowed the rectification petition filed by Vipul Music Company, a proprietorship firm of Santosh Goswami, and directed fresh consideration of the respondent's application after allowing the petitioner to file objections. The Bench held: ...