Khushi Doshi
Published On: March 1, 2022 at 13:52 IST
The Telangana High Court granted Bail on Alt Balaji’s appeal against an injunction preventing the release of Kangana Ranaut’s Lock Upp in a copyright suit filed by Pride Media on Saturday.
Justice P Sree Sudha ruled in favor of Alt Balaji, stating that it could not be said that there was prejudice to the respondents’ rights unless it was clear that the concept of both shows was similar and was replicated.
The makers of Lock Upp challenged the trial court’s order granting an injunction because it was issued without recording reasons or serving notice on them.
Pride Media reported in its suit that the show’s idea was entirely Plagiarised from the concept of another show called The Jail, which it was intending to create.
Copyright for this show was enlisted in 2018, but it was claimed that the show could not be produced due to the COVID-19 situation.
As a result, it requested an interim injunction against Alt Balaji, trying to prevent the production company from releasing, exhibiting, or publishing Lock Upp on any platform.
Alt Balaji claimed that Pride Media contacted the trial court at the eleventh hour and acquired an injunction for copyright registered with the Screenwriters Association of India rather than the Copyright Board of India.
It also claimed that the postponement in launching the series would have a massive and irreversible cascading effect on viewership, costing it 17.5 lakh per day if the show did not air.
Furthermore, because the show Lock Upp had already been produced and a significant amount of money had been spent on marketing it, the judge ruled that the balance of convenience favored Alt Balaji. As a result, the preliminary injunction was lifted.
Also read: What is Interim Bail