With just days to go before Ramayana reaches cinemas, its makers have secured a court order designed to stop the film turning up on piracy sites on day one. Piracy has been a leading issue when it comes to movies financial and other losses. Lots of people are involved to create their greatest artwork in the form of making films but piracy has created nuances when it comes reap the benefits of their hard work.
The Bombay High Court granted a dynamic ad-interim injunction on Monday, November 2, protecting Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana: Rise of a Legend from unauthorised recording, uploading, streaming and distribution. Justice Madhav Jamdar passed the order in a copyright suit filed by Godpower Media Private Limited, the film’s rights holder.
Why the makers went to court
The producers told the court that parts of the film, including trailer material and unreleased footage, had already leaked online. They asked for protection covering the script, characters, footage, lyrics and sound recordings ahead of the global release.
The court accepted that the fear of piracy was well-founded at first glance, noting how easily a film, or clips from it, can be recorded and shared across online platforms.
What the order actually does
Two parts of the order make it stronger than a standard injunction.
- It is a “John Doe” order. It applies to unidentified people, so the makers can act against pirates whose names they do not know.
- It is dynamic. When the rights holder finds a new pirated link or mirror website, it can notify internet service providers and platforms directly. They must block or remove it without the producers going back to court each time.
Lawyers for Google and other major social media platforms told the court they had no objection and would act on links once notified.
Indian courts have issued similar orders for several big releases in recent years, but the scale of Ramayana raises the stakes. Business Today has reported the production as a Rs4,000 crore project.
Big numbers before release
The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana. It releases worldwide on November 5 in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, including in IMAX, with paid preview screenings in parts of North America on November 4. It is the first of two parts.
Advance bookings opened on Dussehra, more than two weeks before release, and demand has been strong. Box office trackers have published different figures, but Business Today reported that ticket sales in India had passed Rs70 crore with two days to go. Early overseas pre-sales in the US, UK and Australia had also crossed the $1 million mark by late October.
The film’s world premiere in Los Angeles drew a big crowd last week, with fans chanting for Yash as he arrived. Read our report from the premiere here.
A note for viewers
Film piracy is an offence under copyright law in both India and the UAE, and pirate sites are a common source of malware. If you are planning to watch Ramayana this week, the cinema is the safest option.
Sources: LiveLaw, MediaNama, Business Today, Outlook India, Bar & Bench.
