CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has restrained the Ekaveera Creations, by its proprietor C Romesh Babu of T Nagar, from releasing the Tamil feature film Kaavalan starring Vijay and Asin all over the world except in India, for six weeks.
Justice S Rajeswaran granted the injunction on Wednesday while passing interim orders on the original applications arising out of a civil suit from Tantra Incorporated Private Limited, by its authorised signatory JC Jerome of Singapore.
The applications sought to restrain the defendants from in any manner interfering with or infringing the copyright of the plaintiff for the distribution, exhibition and exploitation of the film and from releasing the film.
An agreement was entered into between the plaintiff and the defendant companies on September 29, this year under which the copyrights of distribution, exhibition and exploitation of the film in the entire area of the world except India was given to the plaintiff for a total consideration of `5.50 crore. It was also agreed between the parties that Ekaveera Creations shall not sell/assign or mortgage or pledge or exercise the right without the knowledge of plaintiff to anyone.
While so, the judge observed that the correspondence showed that plaintiff had been repeatedly requesting Ekaveera to disclose the details with regard to the rights assigned to another company, Cinema Paradise, represented by its proprietor Sakthi Chidambaram of Saligramam, and to confirm the rights assigned to plaintiff.
Without responding to the request of the plaintiff, Ekaveera had sent a letter dated November 18 this year threatening to cancel the agreement. It was also the case of the plantiff that without disclosing or confirming the rights of the plaintiff and issuing a letter to the laboratory, Ekaveera was acting against the interest of the plaintiff in contrary to the terms of the agreement. Plaintiff was also ready to pay the amount as per the agreed terms. “In the light of the above, I am satisfied that a prima facie case has been made out by the plaintiff for grant of interim injunction as prayed for,” the judge said and granted the stay for six weeks.