The news agency ANI has sued Netflix and the producers for alleged copyright and trademark infringement for using its content without license in IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack.
After IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack was involved in the row over allegedly 'changing' hijackers' religion, the Anubhav Sinha-directed show has landed itself into another controversy. The news agency ANI has sued Netflix and the producers for alleged copyright and trademark infringement for using its content in the series, as per a Bar and Bench report. Following the legal suit, Delhi High Court has issued notice to the makers Matchbox Shots, Benaras Mediaworks, and Netflix to file their replies to ANI's plea within two days. The case will be heard on Friday, September 13.
In its plea, ANI has said that IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack has used its footage of the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, General Parvez Musharraf, and terrorists Masood, and others without any license. Appearing on behalf of ANI, Advocate Siddhant Kumar said in Delhi High Court, "This show is only controversial but anti-national and unpatriotic in the eyes of the public. I do not want to be associated with them. Four out of the six episodes use my footages extensively. I engaged a cameraperson in Pakistan who possibly has the only shot of Masood Azhar being released in Pakistan."
The Netflix counsel Hiren Kamod told the court, "The ANI just happened to be there. The purpose of showing its logo is not to take advantage or ride on the ANI name. The show glorifies the pilots and our forces." He shared that Reuters, a shareholder of ANI, had provided the footages to two other firms named Conceptual and Wilderness, and Netflix had paid an amount of Rs 1.75 crore for the same.
Earlier, IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack courted controversy on social media and elsewhere with many claiming that the filmmaker changed the names of the hijackers to Shankar and Bhola to allegedly protect the terrorists who belonged to a certain community. Hashtags such as #BoycottNetflix, #BoycottBollywood and #IC814 trended on social media, but many survivors and journalists supported the series saying that the hijackers did use the code names depicted in the show.
Last week, Netflix India also issued a statement over the same row. It read, "For the benefit of audiences unfamiliar with the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814, the opening disclaimer has been updated to include the real and code names of the hijackers. The code names in the series reflect those used during the actual event."
IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack is based on the real events on the hijacking of the Indian Airlines Flight 814 in 1999. The Netflix show features a stellar ensemble cast consisting of Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Vijay Varma, Arvind Swamy, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Dia Mirza, Amrita Puri, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Aditya Srivastava, Kanwaljit Singh, and Patralekhaa.
READ | India's longest-running TV show has been on air for 57 years, has 16000 episodes; not KBC, CID, Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, Bigg Boss, Crime Patrol
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