Mumbai: Akshay Kumar-starrer Ram Setu is scheduled to release on October 25 and ahead of its theatrical release, the Delhi High Court restrained 23 “rogue websites” from illegally hosting or streaming the upcoming film. The film also stars Jacqueline Fernandez and Nushrratt Bharuccha in pivotal roles.
On Tuesday (October 18), a single-judge bench of Justice Jyoti Singh passed an interim order after the producer of Cape of Good Films LLP moved the high court. The producer claimed that they had invested a huge amount in producing the film and have been actively promoting it.
The producer further argued that they are the owner of the film and have exclusive rights to “Qua the film” under the provisions of the Copyright Act 1957. It also stated that any “hosting, streaming, distribution, and/or communicating the film to the public or facilitating the same” without authorisation from the producer on any platform, including the internet and mobile would infringe the producer’s copyright.
After hearing the plea, the court observed, “Looking at the investments made by the plaintiff in the production and promotion of the film as also the exclusive right vested in it under the provisions of the Act, this court prima facie agrees with the plaintiff that if the rogue websites communicate the film in any manner, on any platform, simultaneously with the theatrical release of the film on 25.10.2022 or in its close proximity thereafter, it would severely impact the interest of the plaintiff monetarily and will also erode the value of the film”.
Therefore, the high court restrained the “rogue websites” from streaming, hosting, or providing access to or communicating Akshay Kumar’s film on their website. The producers of Ram Setu had made a prima facie case for a grant of ex parte ad-interim relief. The producer has reportedly listed 23 video-sharing websites that are known for piracy. The main case’s hearing is scheduled to take place on February 20 next year.
The court also directed the directors and proprietors of the film, who are the “Domain Name Registrants” to suspend or block the domain name registrations of the 23 websites mentioned by the producer in his complaint.
