The Delhi High Court has barred unauthorised use of the popular TV show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah’s content. As per a report by Barandbench.com, the Delhi HC order will cover platforms illegally selling the show’s merchandise, copying its character, AI images, deepfakes and animated videos. Also read: Taarak Mehta Ka Oooltah Chashmah’s Gurucharan Singh says he tried to clear issues between Asit Modi and Jennifer Mistry
An order of ex parte ad-interim injunction was passed
Per the report, the court restrained a host of YouTube channels, websites, and social media handles from infringing or copying any trademark, title, character, or any other intellectual property of the popular sitcom. It added that the order would cover platforms illegally selling the show’s merchandise, copying its character, or creating Artificial Intelligence (AI) images, deepfakes and animated videos, including John Doe (unknown) defendants.
Justice Mini Pushkarna passed the ex parte ad interim injunction order on August 14, reported Barandbench.com. In the interim order passed against several known and unknown entities in a lawsuit by the show’s producer, Justice Mini Pushkarna said if the ex-parte ad interim injunction is not granted, the plaintiff will suffer an irreparable loss.
“An order of ex parte ad-interim injunction is passed thereby restraining the defendant nos. 1 to 12 and 14 to 21, (including the John Doe parties), their owners, partners, proprietors, officers, servants, employees and all others in capacity of principal or agent, acting for and on their behalf or anyone claiming through by or under it, from in any manner, hosting, streaming, broadcasting, transmitting, exhibiting, making available for viewing and downloading, providing access to and communicating to the public displaying, uploading, modifying, publishing, updating, sharing (including to its subscribers and users), offering for sale on their websites, through the internet, or in any manner or platform whatsoever, any content, goods or services, that in any manner whatsoever, amounts to infringement/passing off, of the plaintiff’s copyrighted material/ registered trademarks, including, but not limited to the title, the Characters, Format and Underlying Materials in the said show or anything else, which otherwise amounts to an infringement of the plaintiff’s Copyright/registered trademarks/passing off of the goods/services offered by the defendants,” the Court ordered.
More details
Per the report, Neela Film Productions Private Limited, the producer of Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, had approached the Delhi High Court arguing that they own the title, the format, characters, characterizations, character mannerisms, characteristic dialogues, voice, dialogue delivery, mannerisms and all other intellectual property rights (IPR) in the show.
The makers of the show, which has been on air for over 16 years with approximately 4,000 episodes, alleged that several entities were using its names, images of characters, etc, for commercial gains by running websites, selling merchandise and even publishing ‘sexually explicit and vulgar’ videos on YouTube.
