India: Broadcasting: Film, TV & Radio

A film title, repeated across sequels, merchandise and decades of publicity, can come to function as a trade mark in its own right, a badge that the public associates with a single source. Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. v. Registrar of Trade Marks concerned exactly such a title, GHOSTBUSTERS, and the protection it can claim against a very different product bearing a very similar name. The Delhi High Court’s decision is important for owners of strong, distinctive marks, including film titles, because it confirms how cross-class protection for a well-known mark is to be approached, and that it does not depend on a prior formal declaration.

Can a claim for damages fail simply because the claimant cannot prove the exact rupee value of its loss? In a judgment pronounced by Arif S. Doctor, J. in Ultra Distributors Pvt. Ltd. v. M/s. Dhariwal Films Pvt. Ltd. & Ors., the Bombay High Court has conclusively answered No.

Online piracy has a structural feature that ordinary injunctions struggle with: when one infringing website is blocked, mirror sites, redirect links and slightly altered domain names appear almost immediately, hosting the same content. Requiring a rights holder to file fresh proceedings for each new address would make enforcement a game of whac-a-mole that the infringer always wins

The dispute had its origins in 2014, when Vodafone signed agreements with Saregama to use songs for its caller tune and ringtone value-added services (VAS). IPRS maintained that while music labels own the copyright in sound recordings, lyricists and composers retain separate rights in the underlying literary and musical works.

India’s telecom and satellite communication landscape has undergone rapid transformation in the past three to four years, demolishing old statutory frameworks and pivoting to the Government’s vision of a Digital India.

Justice Ronnie Abrams granted Netflix's motion to dismiss the complaint, finding that Shah failed to establish ownership of the 2009 Hindi film Luck and its screenplay, and that, in any event, Luck and Squid Game are not substantially similar.

In the case of Ashim Kumar Bagchi vs Balaji Telefilms Ltd. & Ors., the Bombay High Court addressed important questions about copyright infringement and breach of confidence.

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has released a comprehensive implementation circular on 18 September 2025, tightening the compliance net around every plasma, LCD or LED television set sold in the country.

India's moviegoer culture has witnessed a complete makeover with the emergence of Over-The-Top (OTT) services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video...