The broadcaster TV Today Network has taken the news portal Newslaundry to court for defamation, claiming Rs. 2 crores damages. In addition to India Today and Aaj Tak, the network also includes several other channels.
Newslaundry, its CEO Abhinandan Sekhri, and others have been accused by TV Today of “piggybacking” on the network and violating its copyrights.
Here are some additional details
Newslaundry frequently publishes parodies of other news portals, such as TV Today’s channels.
The portal’s YouTube channel was previously suspended due to allegations of copyright infringement.
It has asked for an injunction against Newslaundry’s controversial content, which may limit some of the latter’s shows. On Thursday, the case will most likely be heard.
‘Newslaundry harmed the channel’s reputation.’
According to the lawsuit, Newslaundry’s content consistently denigrates, deprecates, ridicules, and derogates TV Today’s broadcasts.
The suit, filed by lawyers Hrishikesh Baruah and Pranav Jain, claims that these “false and defamatory statements” harmed TV Today’s reputation in the “eyes of the right-thinking members of society.”
What exactly are the allegations?
According to the lawsuit, Newslaundry’s actions defamed TV Today Network, its channels, anchors, employees, and management. The alleged actions harmed the network’s commercial reputation and goodwill.
According to the lawsuit, Newslaundry used the network’s original cinematograph films and sound recordings to make their programmes “more interesting, appealing, or enjoyable.”
It goes on to say that Newslaundry was “piggybacking” on TV Today’s work.
The lawsuit claims that Section 52 of the Copyright Act, 1957 does not cover unpermitted and unlawful use of TV Today’s original cinematograph films and sound recordings.
An injunction is sought against Newslaundry and the other defendants in this lawsuit. According to reports, Google, Facebook, and Twitter have all been named defendants in the case.
What is Newslaundry?
Newslaundry is a news website that focuses on the Indian media industry. Through its shows, it frequently publishes satirical content that criticises the media industry. These shows include video and audio clips from other news websites.
TV Today recently filed a copyright infringement claim against YouTube, which resulted in the suspension of Newslaundry’s channel on the video-sharing platform. Some videos were also taken down.
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