Zee Entertainment approached the court after it came to their knowledge that illegal copies of the film were being disseminated for private and public viewing, on various social media applications including WhatsApp. The plaintiff argued that copyright infringement or violation of intellectual property rights went against the WhatsApp Terms of Service.
It was earlier reported that Zee5 has the exclusive rights for Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai. The Prabhu Deva directorial opted for a simultaneous release on OTT, leading DTH services, and select theatres, especially since a majority of the theatres in India shut down due to COVID-19 restrictions. Radhe released on 13 May on Zee5’s pay-per-view service ZeePlex.
Taking the WhatsApp communications, presented as evidence, into consideration, the Court observed, “These messages clearly suggest that these particular accounts in question, are ex facie being used in complete violation of the terms of the policy of Defendant No. 9 and are…