Calcutta High Court Upholds Rejection Of Suit For Skipping Mediation Under Commercial Courts Act

The Calcutta High Court on 5 May dismissed the appeal filed by Indian Explosives Pvt. Ltd., upholding the order rejecting its suit for non-compliance with Section 12A of the Commercial Courts Act, 2015. A Division Bench of Justices Debangsu Basak and Md. Shabbar Rashidi held that courts cannot permit parties to bypass the mandatory pre-institution mediation requirement on vague or unsupported claims of urgency, and that a dispensation once granted can be revisited where the circumstances...

Delhi High Court Refuses To Halt OTT Release Of Dhurandhar 2 Over Disputed 'Oye Oye' Song

The Delhi High Court on Thursday refused to halt the OTT release of Dhurandhar: The Revenge in a copyright dispute over the alleged unauthorised use of Trimurti Films' iconic Oye Oye song (Tirchi Topiwale) from Tridev. The court cited Trimurti Films' “eerie silence and complete apathetic inaction” after it objected to the use of its songs in Azhar in 2016, along with its suppression of material facts, to deny interim relief. Rejecting Trimurti's attempt to restrain only the OTT release while...

Madras High Court Restrains Unauthorised Broadcast Of Upcoming Varun Dhawan Film 'Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai'

The Madras High Court has restrained unauthorised broadcast of Tips Films' upcoming Varun Dhawan-starrer Hindi film 'Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai' after the company apprehended copyright infringement ahead of its May 22 release. Justice P.B. Balaji passed the ruling on May 6. The production company told the Court that it holds CBFC certificates for the film's teaser and its audio-visual songs dated April 2 and April 16. With the film set to release on May 22, the company said it...

Jharkhand High Court Grants Anticipatory Bail To Garhwa Shop Owner In Duplicate Castrol Oil Case

The Jharkhand High Court on 12 May reiterated that anticipatory bail may be granted where the circumstances and record justify protection from arrest, while considering an application arising from allegations of stocking duplicate motor oil. Justice Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi granted anticipatory bail to Ravindra Kumar Kashyap, an automobile shop owner from Garhwa, who had been booked under Sections 318(4) and 349 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, along with Sections 63 and 65 of the Copyright...

Calcutta High Court Sets Aside Temporary Injunction In Copyright Dispute As Suit Was Filed As Declaratory Suit

The Calcutta High Court has recently set aside an interim injunction granted without hearing the publishers in a dispute over authorship of two chapters in a Chemistry textbook, holding that the plaintiff's suit could not be entertained as an ordinary declaratory action since its core claim arose from alleged copyright rights. A division bench of Justice Sabyasachi Bhattacharyya and Justice Biswaroop Chowdhury held, “The foundation of the suit is comprised of rights flowing from the Copyright...

Delhi High Court Directs Meta To Take Down Ads Using StoryTV Content To Promote Bullet App

The Delhi High Court has temporarily restrained the entities allegedly behind misleading online advertisements from using StoryTV's copyrighted content and marks to promote rival short-drama app Bullet. Justice Tushar Rao Gedela passed the order on May 11, 2026, in a suit filed by Greenhorn Wellness Private Limited, which owns and operates StoryTV. The Court also directed Meta to immediately take down the identified infringing advertisements across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Threads,...

Delhi HC Grants Temporary Relief To Universal City Studios Against PlayIMDb, StreamIMDb Pirate Sites

The Delhi High Court has recently granted an ex parte ad interim injunction in favour of Universal City Studios Productions LLLP against several alleged rogue streaming websites, including playimdb.com and streamimdb.ru, which were accused of facilitating unauthorized streaming of copyrighted films such as Fast X, F9: The Fast Saga, and The Secret Life of Pets 2. The bench comprising Justice Tushar Rao Gedela held that, “The material on record demonstrates that the defendants have devised a...

Delhi High Court Grants Zee Temporary Relief Against JioStar In Copyright Suit, Refers Parties To Mediation

The Delhi High Court has recently granted ad-interim relief to Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited in its copyright suit against JioStar India Private Limited, while also referring the parties to mediation to explore an amicable settlement. The court directed JioStar to ensure that it does not use, publish, broadcast, stream, upload, or make copies of Zee's licensed works within 15 days in a dispute over the alleged continued hosting of content after expiry of licensing agreements. Justice...

Delhi High Court Restrains Electronics Retailer From Screening Films On TVs Without Copyright Society's Licence

The Delhi High Court has recently temporarily restrained an electronics retail chain from playing films from copyright society Cinefil Producers Performance Limited's repertoire at its Delhi stores without a licence.It has also directed the retailer to suspend satellite, cable, and internet-enabled transmission systems used for such screenings until it obtains a valid licence.Justice Tushar Rao Gedela passed the order on May 7, 2026, in a suit filed by Cinefil Producers Performance Limited...

T-Series Tells Delhi HC That Trimurti's 1988 Assignment Lets It Use Tridev's 'Oye Oye' In Dhurandhar 2

After mediation between the parties failed on May 6, T-Series on Monday told the Delhi High Court that the 1988 assignment agreement gave it broad rights in the underlying works of the Tridev song Oye Oye, including the right to use them in another film, as it defended the use of the track as Rang De Lal in Dhurandhar: The Revenge. Senior Counsel Akhil Sibal, appearing for T-Series, continued his submissions before Justice Tushar Rao Gedela by taking the court through the 1988 assignment...

Calcutta High Court Says Vodafone Needs IPRS Licence To Use Songs As Caller Tunes

The Calcutta High Court on Friday held that Vodafone Idea Limited cannot commercially exploit the underlying musical and literary works embedded in sound recordings used for caller tunes and ringtones without obtaining permission from the Indian Performing Right Society Limited (IPRS). IPRS is a copyright society that manages copyright licences for musical and literary works on behalf of rights holders. The court said Vodafone's arrangements with sound recording companies such as Saregama...

Delhi HC Questions Trimurti Films Over Not Pursuing 2016 'Oye Oye' Copyright Row During Plea Against Dhurandhar 2

The Delhi High Court on Friday sharply questioned Trimurti Films on Friday over its nearly decade-long inaction after objecting in 2016 to the same alleged copyright infringement, asking why it had kept quiet for years before seeking to restrain the OTT release of Dhurandhar: The Revenge over the use of the iconic Tridev song Oye Oye. Justice Tushar Rao Gedela was openly skeptical of the plaintiff's case and remarked, “In spite of sending a notice in 2016 in respect of Azhar, you are keeping...