ITV

Tag: C M Lall

  • Delhi HC allows ‘Time Bomb’ telecast; hearings to continue

    Delhi HC allows ‘Time Bomb’ telecast; hearings to continue

    MUMBAI:The Delhi High Court has declined to grant an injunction against the scheduled launch tonight of Zee TV’s big budget primetime weekly Time Bomb.

    The court was hearing the case today on a suite filed by Twentieth Century Fox last Friday that the Zee TV thriller has copied the concept of its ongoing TV serial 24. After more than two hours of hearing today, justice Anil Kumar adjourned the matter for Wednesday to hear the version of Zee Telefilms.

    “Fox’s request to grant an injunction has been dismissed. The serial will launch tonight as planned,” Essel Group VP corporate communications and brand development group Ashish Kaul told indiantelevision.com.

    Senior advocate Arun Jaitley fought for Zee while Amarjit Singh Chandioke and C M Lall appeared for the US producer.

    Fox lawyers displayed the CD of the serial and explained the unique way in which 24 was made and contended that the act of ZTL amounted to infringement of copyright.

    Jaitley argued that nobody could monopolise on the concept of terrorism and claimed that Time Bomb was the extended version of another Zee serial Pradhan Mantri.

    When contacted, Time Bomb’s writer-producer-director Ketan Mehta said, “After hearing both the parties’ arguments, the court passed a judgment in favour of Zee TV permitting it to launch the show. The final verdict is not yet out. The hearing will continue.”

    On 17 June, Twentieth Century Fox moved the Delhi High Court requesting the court to take action against Zee Telefilms Limited on copyright infringement. Refusing to stay the telecast of the serial, the court asked ZTL to file its reply and affidavit on or before 20 June, Monday and place before it the CD/VCD of the first episode of the scheduled programme.

  • 20th Century Fox contests Zee’s ‘Time Bomb’ in Delhi HC

    20th Century Fox contests Zee’s ‘Time Bomb’ in Delhi HC

    MUMBAI: Subhash Chandra and partner-turned-rival Rupert Murdoch are at loggerheads again. News Corp promoted Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation has moved the Delhi High Court, challenging Zee Telefilms Ltd (ZTL) for copyright violation.

    Twentieth Century Fox has alleged that Zee TV’s upcoming thriller Time Bomb is a copied version of its ongoing TV serial 24. Time Bomb is slated for launch on 20 June, Monday.

    According to a PTI report, Justice B D Ahmed issued a notice to ZTL on a lawsuit filed by Twentieth Century Fox.

    Senior advocate R K Anand, and C M Lall, appearing for 20th Century Fox, contended that the act of ZTL amounts to infringement of copyright bestowed on the serial 24.

    20th Century Fox said it was shocked when it recently learnt that the ZTL was in the process of producing and launching a television serial titled Time Bomb. According to the company, ZTL CMD Subhash Chandra had earlier inquired representatives of 20th Century Fox in India about the possibility of licensing the rights to 24 to create a local version in India. But the company had told Chandra that time that the licensing would not be possible.

    The company added that, later, when it had an opportunity of viewing a power point presentation of the serial prepared by ZTL, it found out that the characterisation, storyline and the script of Time Bomb had numerous similarities to 24.

    However, ZTL got a breather when the court refused to stay the proposed 20 June launch of the serial. The court has asked ZTL to file its reply and affidavit on or before 20 June, Monday and place before it the CD/VCD of the first episode of the scheduled programme.

    Reacting to the developments, Essel Group VP corporate communications and brand development group Ashish Kaul told indiantelevision.com that the channel had no issue in fighting its case in the court. “Time Bomb is an Indian story set in the International backdrop. The concept and the story of Time Bomb belong to its director Ketan Mehta.”

    Zee’s counsel Maninder Singh, and Pratibha Singh refuted Fox’s allegation saying the thriller produced by the domestic channel had nothing to do with the American serial and they were ready to pass the test by the court.

    The serial 24 revolves around the security agencies’ efforts to protect the US President from an international terrorist attack. Zee’s Time Bomb is an international political thriller on global terror with its epicenter in South Asia. The story revolves around a plot to assassinate a young and dynamic Indian prime minister.

    When asked to comment on 20th Century Fox’s argument that Zee had used 24’s ’24 hours – 24 episode format’ for Time Bomb, Kaul said that was a very broad definition. “This way, none would be able to make shows,” he argued.

    Time Bomb will be a fixed duration serial that will run for 25 weeks as a weekly one hour show (Monday 10 pm – 11 pm). The first episode is supposed to be a curtain raiser.