Imagine watching a film in theatres and then finding someone sharing its copies illegally online. That’s exactly what the makers of Ramayana are trying to prevent. With the Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi and Yash-starrer now playing in cinemas, the team has taken the piracy issue to court once again.
On Friday, November 6, the Bombay High Court passed a fresh order to protect the film from being shared illegally. The court has told internet service providers and digital platforms that they must remove pirated links and unauthorised content within three hours of receiving a complaint from the film’s copyright owner, Godpower Media Private Limited.
The order was passed by vacation judge Justice Ashish S Chavan while hearing a case filed by Godpower
Media. The court has also asked these platforms to share the contact details of their nodal officers. This will help the makers reach the right people quickly whenever they find an illegal copy of the film online.
The platforms have also been asked to give written confirmation that they will follow the court’s order. They must make sure they have the right people and systems in place to deal with piracy complaints quickly.
The makers wanted the court to step in because pirated clips and copies of the film had started appearing on different online platforms. Senior Advocate Ashish Kamat, who represented Godpower Media, told the court that even a delay of a few hours could give people enough time to share illegal copies across the internet. Once these copies spread, stopping them becomes much harder.
The court took note of the issue and said that unauthorised content had already appeared on several platforms after the film’s release.
This is not the first time the makers have taken the piracy issue to court. On November 2, the Bombay High Court had already passed an order stopping unidentified people and groups from recording the film in theatres or uploading, streaming and sharing it without permission. That order also covered mirror websites and other platforms that could be used to share illegal copies.
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana is being made in two parts and reportedly has a combined budget of Rs 4,000 crore. Ranbir Kapoor plays Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi plays Sita, and Yash takes on the role of Ravana. The first part was released in theatres worldwide on November 5. The film has also had a strong start at the box office. According to the official figures shared by the makers, it collected Rs 155 crore gross worldwide on its first day.
