- The Delhi HC recently vide its interim order passed in favour of Network 18 media and investment Limited (“CNBCTV18”) dated May 28, 2024 [2024 SCC OnLine Del 4253] has granted an injunction against the fraudulent website i.e., www.brawlersfightclub.com (“Defendant”) that was found to be using the CNBCTV18 logo and falsely endorsing products.
- CNBCTV18 sought and obtained an injunction to halt the Defendant from violating their copyright and intellectual property rights. CNBCTV18 claimed that the Defendant was using their logo without authorization, misleading the public into believing it was a genuine CNBCTV18 platform and was soliciting personal details and confidential information from users under the guise of being a legitimate source.
- The Defendant had replicated a CNBCTV18 news article, using its logo and a screenshot from an interview with Anant Ambani, falsely claiming endorsement of a cryptocurrency platform. The Defendant further falsely claimed that Anant Ambani, in an interview with CNBCTV-18, endorsed a particular cryptocurrency platform promising a 4000% return, which was clearly fraudulent. The impugned article quotes Mr. Ambani as claiming that anyone can register with Everix Edge with a minimum deposit of Rs. 26,000/- and transform this amount into Rs. 10,00,000/-, yielding a 4,000% return within a few months. To lend credibility to the article, it is falsely presented as being published by the BBC, the renowned public broadcaster and news agency of the United Kingdom.
- The Delhi HC found merit in the infringement claims, including unauthorized use of Anant Ambani's image and association with journalist Anand Narasimhan, and granted an interim injunction against further dissemination of the misleading content.
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