News agency moves HC against Netflix series
News agency Asian News International (ANI) on Monday moved the Delhi High Court against the producers of Netflix series IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack for copyright infringement.
The lawsuit alleges unauthorised use of ANI’s footage featuring then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, then Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf and the hijackers along with the visible presence of ANI’s logo in the series.
Justice Mini Pushkarna issued a notice to the producers seeking a response. The court has directed the producers to file their replies to ANI’s application for interim relief within two days. The next hearing is scheduled for Friday.
The ANI’s counsel argued that although the producers had approached the news agency in 2021 to request permission for using the footage, no agreement was finalised.
The news agency added that it did not want to be associated with the series in any way, saying that the visible ANI logo in the footage constitutes trademark infringement.
On behalf of the producers, their counsel argued that the footage was legally obtained through two firms, with over Rs 1 crore paid for the rights.
Netflix’s counsel contended that the inclusion of ANI’s logo was not intended to exploit the news agency’s name and that the series aims to honour the pilots and armed forces involved in the incident.
