Delhi HC restrains unauthorized use of 'Andaz Apna...' title, characters
What's the story
In a recent development, the Delhi High Court has issued an interim stay on the unauthorized use of the title and artistic works of the iconic Hindi film, Andaz Apna Apna.
The court's decision prevents over 30 parties from using the comedy movie's characters, title, dialogues, and artistic works without permission, reported IANS.
This move serves as a strong warning against infringement in the entertainment industry.
The 1994 film stars Aamir Khan and Salman Khan.
Legal action
Justice Amit Bansal issued an ex parte interim injunction
Justice Amit Bansal of the Delhi High Court granted an ex parte interim injunction in a case filed by Vinay Pictures.
The legal heir of the film's late producer, Vinay Sinha, Shanti Vinaykumar Sinha, appeared for Vinay Pictures in the lawsuit.
The plaintiff sought protection against alleged infringement of copyright and trademark rights concerning merchandise, digital content, domains, and AI-generated materials related to the film.
Court's statement
The court recognized prima facie case for interim injunction
Further, the bench of Justice Bansal found a prima facie case for granting an interim injunction in favor of the plaintiff.
The court said, "The plaintiff has demonstrated a prima facie case for the grant of an interim injunction in its favor, and in case an ex parte and interim injunction is not granted, the plaintiff will suffer an irreparable loss."
It also clarified that the injunction covers mirror and redirect URLs.
Intellectual property
Plaintiff claims exclusive rights to film's intellectual property
Through Advocate Pravin Anand, the plaintiff claimed the exclusive rights to all intellectual property related to the film.
This includes its characters, dialogues, costumes, styles, and renowned catchphrases like Aila, Ouima, Teja main hoon, mark idhar hai.
The film was directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and is counted among Hindi cinema's most iconic comedies.