Owner of SonyLIV app, Sony Pictures Network India Pvt Ltd, has approached Bombay High Court seeking to quash the First Information Report (FIR) registered against it on a complaint by Karad Urban Co-operative Bank (KUCB) for offenses of criminal defamation under the Indian Penal Code and violation of Trademarks Act and Information Technology Act through its web show Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story.
The bank, in its FIR against Sony Pictures Network India Pvt Ltd, the owner of the SonyLIV application, has alleged that in the third episode of the web series, a logo was displayed in the background which “resembles” its trademark, thereby causing serious damage to its “financial, commercial and social reputation”.Sameer Nair, the CEO of the Applause Entertainment Pvt Limited which has produced the web series has also approached the High Court seeking quashing of FIR.
The FIR was registered in July this year at Sahakar Nagar Police station in Pune for offences punishable for defamation under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and provisions of the Trademarks Act, along with charges under Information Technology Act. The petitioner network said that it was merely broadcasting a series which was owned and produced by Applause Entertainment and it was a cinematic adaptation of the book titled “The Scam: Who won, Who lost, Who got away”.
It added that the “Bank of Karaj” used in the series was a pseudonym for Bank of Karad and their alleged involvement in the scam was in public domain and confirmed by the RBI.
(Source: Bar And Bench)
