The Delhi High Court has taken decisive action to protect the intellectual property rights associated with the iconic 1994 Hindi film, “Andaz Apna Apna.” In a recent interim order, the court has restrained over 30 parties from the unauthorized use of the film’s title, characters (such as Amar, Prem, Teja, and Crime Master Gogo), dialogues (including popular catchphrases like “Aila,” “Ouima,” and “Teja main hoon, mark idhar hai”), and other artistic works.
The order came in response to a lawsuit filed by Vinay Pictures, represented by Shanti Vinaykumar Sinha, the legal heir of the film’s late producer, Vinay Sinha. The plaintiff claimed exclusive ownership of all intellectual property related to the film and sought protection against its unauthorized commercial exploitation across various platforms, including merchandise (T-shirts, mugs, posters, notebooks), digital content, domain names (like www.ailaouima.com), and AI-generated media.
Justice Amit Bansal, in his order, noted that the plaintiff had established a prima facie case and would suffer irreparable loss if the injunction was not granted. The court observed the enduring popularity and cultural resonance of “Andaz Apna Apna,” emphasizing that the unauthorized use of its intellectual property could mislead the public into believing that the infringing products are officially licensed.
The interim directions issued by the Delhi High Court include:
- Restraint on creating content, including AI-generated content, that is identical to or derived from “Andaz Apna Apna.”
- Ban on the sale and promotion of goods bearing marks deceptively similar to the film’s trademarks and character names.
- Directive to Google LLC to take down infringing videos and disclose the details of uploaders on YouTube Shorts.
- Order to e-commerce platforms like Flipkart, Meesho, Etsy, and Desertcart to remove infringing listings and share seller details.
- Instruction to GoDaddy to disclose domain registration details for www.ailaouima.com.
- Mandate to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to block and disable identified infringing links and websites.
The court has granted the plaintiff the liberty to add more infringers to the case if necessary, and the injunction also covers mirror and redirect URLs. This move by the Delhi High Court underscores the importance of safeguarding intellectual property in the entertainment industry, even for films that have achieved classic status.
Key Highlights:
- The Delhi High Court has issued an interim order restraining over 30 parties from the unauthorized use of the intellectual property of the film “Andaz Apna Apna.”
- This includes the film’s title, characters, dialogues, and artistic works, in response to a lawsuit by the producer’s legal heir, Vinay Pictures.
- The court’s order targets the misuse of the film’s IP on merchandise, digital content, domain names, and AI-generated media, directing platforms like Google and e-commerce sites to take down infringing content and disclose seller details.
- This action highlights the judiciary’s commitment to protecting the intellectual property of creative works against unauthorized commercial exploitation.