Feluda caught in legal battle over web, TV copyrights

Kolkata: Feluda has got embroiled in a legal matter.
SVF Entertainment on Friday moved the commercial court at Alipore, challenging the production of a Feluda series. According to SVF Entertainment, its production and intended release on Zee5 and other platforms amounts to an infringement of SVF’s rights. SVF on Friday got an injunction till January 5, 2022, against producer Ashok Dhanuka, Eskay Video Pvt Ltd, and Zee Entertainment in this copyright infringement matter.
The court passed an injunction, restraining producer Ashok Dhanuka, Eskay Video Pvt Ltd and broadcaster Zee Entertainment from producing, and/or exploitation/release of any show on Feluda stories. Dhanuka was not reachable for comment. Calls to Samrat Ghosh, cluster head (East), Zee Entertainment, went unanswered. No one from the respondents’ side was in court. Director Arindam Sil, who was to direct the series based on ‘Gangtok-e Gandogol’, said, “This is something for the producers to solve. The team and myself have been working for months and we look forward to an amicable solution.”
SVF legal counsel Preeti Gandhi said, “All three respondent parties are restrained from producing and exploiting any show on Feluda stories.” She said, “Sandip Ray assigned web and TV rights of all Feluda stories to SVF for valuable consideration. Some parts of the rights were assigned to Alpha-1 Productions. Those rights were also assigned to SVF, making it the exclusive right-holder. There is no knowledge on how the production house in question claims the right to Feluda.”