Delhi High Court Orders Takedown Of AI Deepfakes Misappropriating Shashi Tharoor's Personality Rights

The Delhi High Court on Friday granted an interim injunction to Congress MP and former diplomat Shashi Tharoor, restraining unknown parties from using artificial intelligence and related technologies to create and circulate deepfake videos falsely attributing politically sensitive statements to him. Justice Mini Pushkarna on May 8 directed X (formerly Twitter) to forthwith take down and block access to the infringing content identified in the suit while directing Meta to ensure that the...

Education Consultancy Services To Foreign Universities Not 'Intermediary Services' Under GST: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court on Friday reiterated that education consultancy, marketing, and recruitment support services rendered by an Indian entity to foreign universities would not qualify as “intermediary services” under the Integrated Goods and Services Tax Act and would instead constitute export of services eligible for GST refund.A division bench of Justices Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Ajay Digpaul passed the ruling while allowing a writ petition filed by Fateh Education Consulting Private Limited,...

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...

Section 9 Relief Cannot Restore Ousted LLP Partner Or Confer Final Control: Rajasthan High Court

The Rajasthan High Court on 30 April held that a Commercial Court exercising interim powers under Section 9 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1996 cannot grant relief that effectively restores a removed partner or confers operational control over an LLP, as such directions would amount to granting final relief prior to the commencement of arbitration. A Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma and Justice Shubha Mehta set aside the Jaipur Commercial Court's directions...

Delhi High Court To Pass Interim Orders In Universal Studios' Suit Against PlayIMDb's Piracy Mechanism

The Delhi High Court on Friday indicated that it would pass orders in a copyright infringement suit filed by Universal City Studios Productions LLLP against PlayIMDb.com and several other alleged rogue streaming platforms. During the hearing before Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, Universal City Studios detailed what it described as an “ingenious” piracy mechanism through which rogue websites exploit IMDb's infrastructure to facilitate unauthorized streaming of films, including Fast X, the tenth main...

Confirming Party Cannot Invoke Arbitration Clause Without Express Contractual Right: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court on 4 May held that a party described only as a “Confirming Party” or merely having signatory status in an agreement cannot invoke the arbitration clause unless the contract expressly grants such a right. Justice Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar dismissed petitions filed by The Atlas Electric Industries Pvt. Ltd. seeking interim protection and appointment of an arbitrator in a dispute concerning an industrial plot in Haryana. He held: “The arbitration clause, in express terms,...

Delhi High Court Reiterates Mandatory 120-Day WS Deadline In Commercial Disputes, Dismisses Appeal

The Delhi High Court on 4 May reaffirmed that the 120-day outer limit for filing written statements in commercial disputes under the Commercial Courts Act, 2015 is mandatory, holding that once the statutory period expires, courts have no discretion to condone delay or permit filing. The Division Bench of Justices Anil Kshetarpal and Amit Mahajan dismissed the appeal filed by Avon Enterprises, upholding the decree passed by the District Judge, Saket Courts, on 16 January 2024 in favour of Chibba...

Arbitrator Cannot “Conjure” Mesne Profit Figure Solely On “Guesswork”: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court on 13 April held that an arbitral tribunal cannot award mesne profits solely on “guesswork” without any foundational material or reasoning supporting the quantification and clarified that while exact proof of unliquidated damages is not necessary, the award must disclose a rational basis linking the material on record to the amount awarded. A Division Bench of Justices Om Prakash Shukla and C. Hari Shankar upheld an order setting aside the arbitral award to the extent it...

Delhi High Court Partly Sets Aside Award Denying FDR Interest Despite Invalid PBG Invocation

The Delhi High Court has held that the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) cannot retain interest accrued on a fixed deposit created from a Performance Bank Guarantee (PBG) amount after an arbitral tribunal held that DDA was not entitled to invoke the PBG. The PBG had been furnished by Jaksons Developers in connection with allotment of a commercial plot by DDA for construction of a hotel project for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Justice Avneesh Jhingan said: “The realised amount along with...

Jioo Organics Agrees To Drop Reliance, Jio-Like Marks In Settlement Before Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court has restrained a trader accused of using marks deceptively similar to Reliance Industries' registered trademarks “RELIANCE” and “JIO”. after both the parties entered into settlement. A bench of Justice Tushar Rao Gedela recorded a settlement between Reliance Industries and a trader, who was operating under the trade name “Jioo Organics”. Reliance Industries had filed the suit against Pawan Kumar Gupta and others, alleging trademark infringement and passing off. The...

Mere Default Of Business Loan Cannot Justify Issuance Of LOCs, Curtail Right To Travel Abroad: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court has held that Look Out Circulars (LOCs) cannot be sustained merely because loans have not been repaid and no criminal case is pending against borrowers, directors, or guarantors. "Mere inability to repay a debt, without there being a criminal case, cannot be a reason to deprive a citizen of the fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 21. The issuance of an LOC cannot be resorted to in every case of bank loan default or credit facility availed for business purposes....

Arbitration Clause Signed By Only One Party Invalid, Award Unenforceable: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court on 5 May held that an arbitration clause contained in a document signed by only one party does not constitute a valid arbitration agreement under Section 7 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, in the absence of material demonstrating mutual consent to arbitrate. A Division Bench of Justices Anil Kshetarpal and Amit Mahajan further held that an arbitral award founded on such a defective agreement is a nullity and incapable of execution and upheld the Executing...