|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
[ad_1]
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the contempt proceedings initiated by the Karnataka High Court against streaming giant Netflix despite a prior order of the High Court staying the telecast of the documentary film ‘Wild Karnataka’.
The top court directed Netflix to deposit the earnings from the film to the Wildlife Conservation Fund.
“How can Netflix be held for contempt? The footage was immediately removed. There are so many important cases in Karnataka; why file a contempt case against Netflix?”. Chief Justice DY Chandrachud asked.
On January 8, the High Court decided to frame charges against the creators of the documentary – Sarath Champati, Kalyan Verma and Amoghavarsha JS, as well as representatives of UK-based producer Icon Films Ltd, distributor ITV Studios Global Distribution Ltd. Representatives from television channels Discovery India and BBC United Kingdom, Discovery Communications India and Netflix Entertainment Services India LLP.
Despite the interim order, the high court said, the accused entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the forest department, filmed the footage and sold the rights to others. The documentary was streamed until December 2023, prompting the complainant to claim willful disobedience of the court order.
The issue arose from an interim order issued by the Karnataka High Court on June 29, 2021, following a petition by Ravindra N Redkar and Ullas Kumar. The film makers and platforms involved in the order are prohibited from indulging in any use, publication, reproduction, broadcasting, transmission, marketing, sale or transaction of the film and its raw footage received from the forest department.
Despite the non-profit nature of the film for conservation and educational purposes, the petitioners argued that the filmmakers made profits from it commercially without the approval of the Karnataka Forest Department (KFD).
The petitioners further claimed that the film was distributed globally and that the individuals involved had spent substantial amounts of money without contributing to the Tiger Reserve Fund. KFD officials reportedly waived shooting fees and deposits, and used state vehicles and drivers without proper compensation.
Unlock a world of benefits! From informative newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and personalized newsfeeds – it’s all here, just a click away! log in now!
Catch all business news, market news, breaking news events and latest news updates on Live Mint. Check out all the latest action on Budget 2024 here. Download Mint News app to get daily market updates.
more less
Published: Jan 25, 2024, 02:45 PM IST
