The Delhi High Court granted interim relief to Saregama India Limited in a suit filed against Movie World Visual Media Limited after the former alleged that the latter has been using its copyrighted works including songs and musical recordings of various Malayalam movies.
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NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court granted temporary relief to Saregama India Limited in a case against Movie World Visual Media Limited. Saregama alleged that Movie World Visual Media was misusing its copyrighted materials, such as songs and musical recordings from various Malayalam films.
Justice Mini Pushkarna provided ex parte ad interim injunction in favor of Saregama India, restricting Movie World Visual Media from utilizing any copyrighted works owned by Saregama. The Court specifically prohibited the use of songs, musical recordings, and literary works that constitute copyright infringement.
The Court’s order, issued on December 19, stated:
“Till the next date of hearing, the defendants, their directors, partners or proprietors, licensees, assignees, officers, servants, agents, representatives, contractors, sister concerns and any other person working for and on behalf of the defendants are restrained from doing any act, including, exploitation/ use of the plaintiff’s copyrighted works, i.e., sound recordings/ songs, details of which are provided in Annexure-A to the present order, along with the literary and musical works, which amounts to infringement of the plaintiff’s copyright in the plaintiff’s copyrighted works.”
Saregama India claimed that Movie World Visual Media has been commercially exploiting its copyrighted sound recordings for over 40 years. According to Saregama, these violations occurred across various platforms, including websites, mobile apps, and OTT platforms.
Saregama also highlighted that it owns exclusive rights to its copyrighted works under the Copyright Act. This includes the authority to license these works to third parties. Saregama argued that the defendants’ unauthorized use of its materials gave a false impression that either the original producers or the defendants themselves held rights to these works.
Such actions, Saregama contended, not only mislead others but also suggest that no license from Saregama is necessary to exploit these works. This behavior, they argued, encourages further copyright violations.
Saregama further pointed out that the defendants falsely claimed ownership of its copyrighted works in the District Court of Ernakulam, Kerala. Based on these claims, they obtained an ex-parte ad interim injunction that restrained Saregama from using its own copyrighted materials. However, after reviewing arguments from both sides, the Ernakulam District Court lifted this injunction against Saregama.
Following the events in Kerala, Saregama filed a fresh case in the Delhi High Court to stop Movie World Visual Media from using its copyrighted works. After examining the submissions, the Delhi High Court ruled in favor of Saregama. The Court restrained the defendants from using any of Saregama’s copyrighted works until the next hearing.
The Court noted:
“In view of the above circumstances, the plaintiff has demonstrated a prima facie case for grant of injunction and in case no ex-parte ad-interim injunction is granted, the plaintiff will suffer an irreparable loss. Further, the balance of convenience also lies in favour of the plaintiff and against the defendants.”
The matter has been scheduled for its next hearing on May 13, 2025.
Saregama India Limited was represented in the case by advocates Ankur Sangal, Ankit Arvind, Shashwat Rakshit, and Amira Dhawan.
CASE TITLE:
Saregama India Limited v. Movie World Visual Media Private Limited & Anr.
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