CHENNAI: In a significant judgment having far-reaching consequences, the Madras High Court has held that a common name title cannot be protected under the Copyright Act. Making the observation, Justice Krishnan Ramasamy vacated the interim injunction restraining the release of Tamil feature film ‘Kolaiyudhir Kalam’, starring Nayanthara and paved the way for its release.
Originally, the film was scheduled to be released on June 14. One K Balaji Kumar of Nandanam moved the High Court and a single judge, while passing interim orders on the application arising out of a civil suit on June 12, stayed the release. Later, he moved the court to make the interim stay absolute. Aggrieved, V Mathiyalagan, partner of Star Polaris in Valasaravakkam, and another firm, Etcetera Entertainment in Teynampet, filed counter-affidavits to vacate the stay. He said he had invested about `12.50 crore to purchase the film. He said he has suffered a loss of `4 crore due to impasse over the film’s release.
The petitioner placed reliance on a Supreme Court judgement in support of his claim. Justice Krishnan Ramasamy, however, rejected the submission.