HC restrains unauthorised use of 'Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah' content in YouTube videos, social media posts

PTC News Desk: The Delhi High Court barred the unlawful use of the popular TV show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah's content on YouTube videos and social media platforms.

According to Barandbench.com, the Delhi High Court ruling would apply to platforms that illegally sell the show's merchandise, copying its characters, AI images, deepfakes, and animated videos.

According to the report, the court prohibited a number of YouTube channels, websites, and social media handles from violating or replicating any trademark, title, character, or other intellectual property of the popular series. It further stated that the order would apply to platforms that illegally sell the show's merchandise, copied its characters, or created Artificial Intelligence (AI) images, deepfakes, and animated movies, as well as John Doe (unknown) defendants.

Barandbench.com stated that Justice Mini Pushkarna issued the ex parte ad interim injunction ruling on August 14. In an interim order issued against various known and unknown entities in a complaint brought by the show's producer, Justice Mini Pushkarna stated that if the ex-parte ad interim injunction is not granted, the plaintiff will suffer irreparable loss.

The plaintiff, Neela Film Productions Pvt Ltd, claimed that it has statutory rights to many registered trademarks in India relating to their show and its characters, including 'Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah', 'Ooltah Chashmah', 'Taarak Mehta', 'Jethaalal', 'Gokuldhaam', etc.

The court was informed that, while the plaintiff owns the copyright to its various characters and animations, some entities were selling merchandise such as T-shirts, posters, and stickers featuring the images and dialogues of characters from the show through websites and e-commerce platforms.

It was also stated that there was content created using artificial intelligence or deep fakes of characters and video games.