HC restrains ISPs from allowing upload of Ajith's new film

The Madras High Court on Tuesday restrained 38 internet service providers (ISPs) from uploading or providing online access to Ajith-starrer Tamil film "Viswam", set to hit the screens on Thursday, on a plea from the producer to pre-empt possible piracy.

Justice S Sundar granted the injunction against BSNL and 37 other ISPs on a civil suit filed by the film's producer, who apprehended that the defendant websites had the potential to upload or enable third parties to copy, reproduce and distribute the film through cable or online medium through the ISPs.

The movie produced by the Sathya Jyothi Films is set to release on January 10, ahead of the Pongal festival season.

The counsel for the plaintiff submitted that whenever a film was released in theatres, acts of piracy would also commence and the websites would mobilise to illegally copy, record, download, reproduce, transmit and communicate the copyright-protected work to the general public.

The defendant web portals had not entered into any license agreement with the plaintiff firm for communicating the movie and thus, it would amount to infringement of its copyright under the Copyright Act, the counsel said.