LawChakra

[ANI vs. PTI] Delhi HC Summons PTI in ANI’s Rs.2 Crore Copyright Infringement Case Over Plagiarized Videos

Joyeeta Roy

Today(on 5th July),The Delhi High Court has summoned Press Trust of India (PTI) in response to a copyright infringement and plagiarism case filed by Asian News International (ANI). Justice Mini Pushkarna instructed PTI to submit its response, scheduling the next hearing for August 9.

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[ANI vs. PTI] Delhi HC Summons PTI in ANI's Rs.2 Crore Copyright Infringement Case Over Plagiarized Videos
DELHI HIGH COURT

NEW DELHI: Today(on 5th July), The Delhi High Court has issued summons to the news agency Press Trust of India (PTI) following a complaint by its rival, Asian News International (ANI). This case, filed on the grounds of unauthorized use of video content, highlights the competitive tensions and legal ramifications in the media industry.

Background:

The conflict arose from an incident on June 19, 2024, when a Spicejet flight from Delhi to Darbhanga experienced a major malfunction in its air conditioning system. Passengers endured nearly an hour of sweltering heat on the runway amidst a severe heatwave. ANI, covering the incident, captured both longer and shorter versions of videos inside the aircraft.

Allegations of Copyright Infringement

ANI has accused PTI of copying these videos without permission. According to ANI, these videos were shot by its video journalists and disseminated through ANI’s feed and a tweet on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). Shortly after ANI’s publication, PTI allegedly released identical videos, leading to accusations of plagiarism and copyright infringement.

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Justice Mini Pushkarna of the Delhi High Court has taken cognizance of the matter. The court has directed PTI to file a response and scheduled the next hearing for August 9. ANI is seeking damages exceeding Rs.2 crores and a permanent injunction to prevent PTI from using any original content produced by ANI in the future.

Representing ANI, Senior Advocate Rajshekhar Rao emphasized the seriousness of the infringement. He highlighted the need for stringent measures to protect original content and uphold copyright laws. In response, PTI has acknowledged the court’s directive and committed to removing the disputed videos within 24 hours.

ANI, represented by Senior Advocate Chander M Lall and advocate Sidhant Kumar, has lodged a complaint against PTI for allegedly using their original content without permission. During the proceedings, Lall emphasized that PTI should not only remove the disputed content but also issue formal apologies to ANI and the various news publications that unknowingly published the content, believing it to be sourced from PTI.

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“They should remove the content and acknowledge it as my original work. An apology is necessary. They should also notify all newspapers that published the report as PTI feed. PTI has been plagiarizing my content.”

-Lall argued forcefully in court.

This stance was met with resistance from Rao, representing PTI, who dismissed the need for an apology, suggesting that the situation was more complex than presented by ANI.

“No apology is necessary. However, there is another important point to be made here… We previously stated that the video is third-party content.”

-Rao contended, hinting at underlying nuances in the dispute.

The legal battle saw an initial inclination from the bench to encourage mediation between the two parties. However, this suggestion was swiftly opposed by Lall, who seemed intent on a more formal resolution through the courts.

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