RK films and studios, one of the oldest film production company in the country, has acquired intellectual property rights on the name and images of Raj Kapoor.
At a time when people use celebrities to sell anything and everything, RK studios thought it would be wise to protect its deceased founder’s name and references from being commercially exploited. Now on, people will need to seek legal permission before using anything related to Raj Kapoor, be it his film posters or reenactment of scenes from his movies.
The studio, under the nomenclature personality rights of the Intellectual Property Act, has debarred anyone from using his pictures including the Mera Joota Hai Japani one from his film Sri 420.
A notice issued by law firm Anand and Anand, who represent RK studios, states that action will be taken against anyone using Raj Kapoor’s name or images without acquiring appropriate permissions.
Safir Anand of Anand and Anand said, “Most Indians simply follow trends or buy products if they are endorsed by their favourite celebrity. While in reality, the celebrity’s permission must have not been taken before using his/her name. In the case of Raj Kapoor, even though he is not among us, his celebrity status remains.”
Raj Kapoor, who is also known as the original showman of Bollywood, founded RK studios, Chembur, in 1948. His banner has given some successful movies like Awaara, Boot Polish, Jagte Raho, Sri 420, Mera Naam Joker, Bobby and Satyam Shivam Sundaram.Nowadays, many celebrities have obtained a patent for their names for similar reasons. Apparently, actor Shah Rukh Khan and cricketer Sachin Tendulkar have also recently patented their celebrity brand.
