ANI sues Netflix over IC 814 for copyright infringement, asks 4 episodes to be taken down

Still from IC 814

There seems no end to the troubles for IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack and its streaming platform Netflix.

According to a report by Bar and Bench, ANI sues Netflix and makers of IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack for alleged infringement of copyright and trademark. ANI says the show uses its footages showing the then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, General Parvez Musharraf and terrorist Masood Azhar without licence."

According to Reuters, the news agency has demanded that four episodes from the show be taken down as they used ANI content without license.

Following this Delhi HC issued notice to Netflix and the show's other producers.

The matter was briefly heard by Justice Mini Pushkarna and ordered the production houses associated with the show- Matchbox Shots, Benaras Mediaworks, and Netflix- to file their replies to ANI's plea for interim relief within two days. The matter will be heard on Friday.

What did ANI say?

According to the plea filed by ANI at the Delhi HC, the show which is currently streaming on Netflix makes use of video content that belongs to the news agency. Some of the footages used on the show include the scenes with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, General Parvez Musharraf, and terrorists Masood and others. The visuals, ANI claims was used without proper licensing.

As per Bar and Bench, Advocate Siddhant Kumar who appeared for the news agency argued that they do not want to be associated with a show which exonerates Pakistan of its role in the plane hijack and which is now being termed as a public relations exercise for the Pakistani spy agency ISI.

The advocate further revealed that the show's producer did approach ANI with request to use their footage in the year 2021 but there was no agreement between the two sides. He also said one of the footages shows the logo of ANI which amounts to infringement of trademark.

"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," Kumar stressed.