Delhi High Court

Satyajit Ray Is The First Owner Of Copyright In Bengali Film ‘Nayak’: Delhi HC

The Delhi High Court held on Tuesday that the first owner of copyright in the 1966 Bengali film ‘Nayak’ is legendary filmmaker late Satyajit Ray, who also wrote the screenplay for the movie.

As a result, Justice C Hari Shankar ruled that Ray had the right to novelize the screenplay and that that right could be assigned to him and, after his death, to his son and others to whom the right devolved.

Therefore, the Court denied a plea by the film’s producers, RDB and Co. (plaintiff), seeking injunction against publishing house HarperCollins (defendant) from publishing the novelisation of the film’s screenplay.

“The assignment of the right to novelize the screenplay of the film ‘Nayak’ by Sandip Ray and the SPSRA in favour of the defendant is, therefore, wholly in order and in accordance with the provisions of the [Copyright] Act,” the Court held.

RDB and Co approached before the High Court, claiming that Ray was commissioned by RD Bansal (Karta of RDB & Co) to write and direct the film Nayak. Bhaskar Chattopadhyay novelized the film’s screenplay somewhere around 2018, and the novel was published by HarperCollins on May 5, 2018.

The plaintiff claimed that Bhaskar Chattopadhyay’s novelization of the screenplay and the defendant’s publication of the novel constituted infringement of their copyright under Section 51 of the Copyright Act.

After hearing the case, Justice Hari Shankar held that the conclusion of Section 17 of the Copyright Act is that Ray, as the author of Nayak’s screenplay, was the initial owner of the copyright in the film.

As a result, the Court rejected the producer’s claim that he owns the copyright on the screenplay for the film Nayak.

“In light of the foregoing discussion, the plaintiff has no legal right to injunct the defendant from novelizing the screenplay of the film ‘Nayak,'” Justice Hari Shankar concluded.

Isha Das

Recent Posts

Punjab & Haryana HC Notice To Jindal Law School Over AI-Generated Exam Claims

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday has issued a notice to Jindal Global…

3 hours ago

ED Files Money Laundering Complaint Against Charanjit Singh Bajaj, 4 Others

The ED on Tuesday has filed a Prosecution Complaint before the Special Court in Mohali…

3 hours ago

Pune Porsche Case: SC Rejects Anticipatory Bail To Father Of Minor Driver’s Friend

The Supreme Court on Tuesday denied bail to Arunkumar Devnath Singh, whose son is a…

4 hours ago

SC Dumps Plea Against Quashing LOC For Sushant Singh Rajput’s Ex-House Help

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the Centre's appeal against a Bombay High Court order…

5 hours ago

Rape Case: SC Issues Notice On Ex-Army Officer’s Plea For Quashing Charge sheet

The Supreme Court on Tuesday has agreed to review a plea from retired Army Captain…

5 hours ago

Chhattisgarh NAN Scam: FIR Against 2 Retired IAS Officers, Former AG

The Chhattisgarh Anti-Corruption Bureau on Tuesday has registered a case against 2 retired IAS officers…

5 hours ago