Upload and be damned

T-Series’ aggressive moves in protecting its intellectual property (IP) have opened a can of worms for consumers and companies alike.

Hiring a DJ to play film songs for a wedding, without a licence could spell trouble Uploading film music on your social networking site could mean a violation of laws in India

The latest one to be embroiled in a legal tangle is social networking site ibibo (a MIH & TenCent company) that currently has an online talent hunt called iSinger where people are invited to “sing latest, popular peppy numbers” and upload them. The matter is pending in Delhi High Court after T-Series sued ibibo.

The objection in this case appears to be similar to the ones Super Cassettes Industries (that owns T-Series brand) has raised in the past with social sites such as YouTube, Yahoo Video and MySpace: that these sites cannot shrug off responsibility for infringing copyright on grounds of user generated content (UGC).

In the US, these sites have faced the ire of copyright owners but have protection in the ‘Safe Harbor’ argument under the Digital Millenium Copyright Act. This provision grants immunity to interfaces if they respond to a legal notice by immediately removing the concerned material from the site. In India though, copyright laws currently do not allow such an argument.

—Shamni Pande