MTV sues ITN for Rs. 300 m

Maharaja Entertainments Ltd., (the Plaintiff) has instituted legal proceedings against Independent Television Network Limited (ITN) at the High Court of the Western Province Holden in Colombo on the basis that the Plaintiff who is an associate company of the Capital Maharaja Organisation is the exclusive territorial rights holder of the latest ASTERIX audio visual movie, “ASTERIX: The Secret of the Magic Potion” for the territory of Sri Lanka and that the Defendant, ITN had violated the exclusive rights of the Plaintiff granted by the Intellectual Property Act by broadcasting the movie ‘ASTERIX’ dubbed in Sinhala on 19 October. 

The Plaintiff stated to Court that ITN had given an undertaking at a meeting held in the presence of the Minister of Mass Media not to broadcast the ASTERIX movie, ITN had proceeded to effect the broadcast the movie ‘ASTERIX’, causing serious loss and damage to the Plaintiff.The Plaintiff had set out in its Plaint that the Plaintiff was to effect the 1st broadcast of the ASTERIX movie dubbed in Sinhala in terms of the rights granted under the Distribution License Agreement effected with the copyright owners in Paris, France which had granted the exclusive rights to the Plaintiff in respect of the territory in Sri Lanka.

High Court Judge Rathnapriya Gurusinghe having considered the submissions made on behalf of the Plaintiff moved to issue Interim Injunction Notice and Summons by way of an Order dated 14th November 2019. The matter will be called again on 2 December.

The Plaintiff was Maharaja Entertainments Limited represented in Court by President’s Counsel Dr. Harsha Cabral, with Nishan Premathiratne, Migara Cabral and Krishan Fernandopulle, Attorneys at-Law appearing on the instructions of Messrs. Julius and Creasy, Attorneys-at-Law.