Legal documents say that JioStar, a joint television and streaming TV company of the Reliance Industries and The Walt Disney Company, sued Zee Entertainment Enterprises for allegedly transmogrifying Bollywood movies without its permission.
The kerfuffle follows that between the two top media bell rung players in India’s entertainment market, which is valued at Rs 30 billion. JioStar has sued Zee for showing various movies without proper licensing, saying that at the time the Zee films were telecasting, Reliance-Disney joint venture owned the broadcast rights.
According to the filing, Zee aired close to 12 films more than 19 times feature corporals including popular Bollywood films starring legends like Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan. According to JioStar, Zee is a “habitual infringer,” citing various incidents that left the company committing copyright violation in the past and continuing unauthorized access to copyrighted material.
The issue has been referred to the Legal Services Committee of Delhi High Court, which has been established to promote mediation and resolve all kinds of commercial disputes. The committee reportedly called for Zee to show up for the hearing on May 25 and if they do not appear there, it could be considered a refusal to join the mediation process.
This court motion is part of growing conflicts between the two firms. Zee had also taken another legal action against JioStar in April, alleging that it used its copyrighted music without the permissions of the agreements.
Both have large TV networks, streaming services and together they cover hundreds of millions of people in India. The case highlights the growing rivalry and controversies regarding copyright in the country’s media industry.