Madras High Court Temporarily Restrains Telugu Dub Release Of Drishyam 3 On OTT Platforms

The Madras High Court has restrained the makers of malayalam movie “Drishyam 3” from releasing the Telugu dubbed version of the movie in OTT platforms.

Justice K Kumaresh Babu made the interim order on a plea moved by film production company Rajkumar Theatre Pvt Ltd.

The company had approached the Madras High Court seeking to restrain the producers and director and their agents, employees, assignees, licensees, and everyone claiming through them from infringing the company's exclusive copyright to remake and exploit the movie in the Telugu language by releasing the dubbed version of the movie in Telugu anywhere in the world.

The judge noted that though private notices were issued, none of the respondents had entered appearance. The court also noted that the movie was scheduled to release on OTT platform on June 18. The court thus ordered an interim injunction.

“It is to be noted that, in spite of service of private notice on them, none of the respondents has entered appearance or is present before this Court. Their names have also printed in the cause list. In such view of the matter, there shall be an order of interim injunction, restraining the Respondents/Defendants, their servants, agents, employees, assignees, licensees and every one claiming under or through the Respondents/Defendants from exploiting the copyrights of the applicant by releasing the same in the OTT Platform,” the court said.

It may be noted that on April 8 this year, the Delhi High Court had restrained the Malayalam movie makers from creating any third-party OTT rights in the upcoming Mohanlal-starrer Malayalam film tentatively titled “Drishyam 3”, granting interim protection to Amazon Seller Services Pvt. Ltd. in an arbitration dispute.