In a notable interim order, the Delhi High Court has restrained entertainment and lifestyle platform MissMalini from using clips of the talk show What Women Want, hosted by Kareena Kapoor Khan. The order comes after radio broadcaster Mirchi, owned by Entertainment Network India Limited (ENIL), alleged copyright infringement and breach of agreement by MissMalini Entertainment Private Limited (MEPL).
The court directed MEPL to remove the contested clips from platforms like YouTube and Instagram within 48 hours and barred them from using Mirchi’s copyrighted material on any platform until the next hearing, scheduled for May 13, 2025.
Justice Mini Pushkarna, while granting the ex parte interim injunction on December 20, observed that the case merited urgent intervention to protect Mirchi’s intellectual property. She stated:
“The unauthorised use and modification of content by obscuring the original logos and affixing another’s brand not only violates copyright but also misleads the audience. Such actions warrant immediate restraint.”
The Allegations
Mirchi claimed that MEPL, engaged for promoting the show, breached their agreement by failing to seek approval for content before uploading it. Additionally, MEPL allegedly obscured Mirchi’s logo in the video clips and replaced it with their own branding, crediting “MissMalini Productions” in the process.
Mirchi, asserting exclusive ownership over all intellectual property related to What Women Want, argued that MEPL’s actions caused irreparable harm to its brand identity.
Pre-Litigation Efforts
Before moving to court, Mirchi had issued a cease-and-desist notice and initiated copyright strikes on the offending YouTube videos. However, with some clips remaining online, the broadcaster sought judicial relief to prevent further misuse.
The Court’s Decision
The High Court, after hearing Mirchi’s preliminary arguments, acknowledged the likelihood of copyright infringement and directed MEPL to take immediate corrective measures.
Mirchi was represented by Senior Advocate Abhishek Malhotra along with Advocates Kartikay Dutta, Anukriti Trivedi, and Raghavi Shukla. Advocates Vedansh Anand and Sachin Saraswat appeared for the Central government in the matter.
Further developments are awaited at the next hearing in May.
Case: Entertainment Network India Limited vs Miss Malini Entertainment Pvt Ltd And Others – Available on LAWFYI.IO
