New DelhiOne hour ago
It would not be wrong if ‘Sholay’ is called an iconic film in the history of Indian cinema. The film is a milestone in itself. Keeping this in mind, the Delhi High Court has imposed a fine of Rs 25 lakh on a person running his business under the name Sholay. The makers of the film Sholay had filed a case against this man.
Justice Pratibha M Singh was hearing the trademark suit, which argued that films and their titles can be recognized under the trademark law. Justice Singh upheld this argument.
Sholay was released on 15 August 1975. Its characters and dialogues are still fresh in the minds of the people.
Filmmakers filed a case against a person
The makers of the film Sholay had alleged that a businessman had committed several violations by registering a domain name under the name Sholay, publishing a magazine under the name Sholay and selling items containing photographs of the film. The merchant had created a website called sholay.com, which was registered in the US.
‘Sholay’ is not a common word
The court says that Sholay is the name of the iconic film, so it is necessary to keep it safe and prevent the misuse of this name. The High Court has observed that titles like Sholay have crossed the limit of being called common words. Therefore, the businessman will have to pay Rs 25 lakh to the producers of Sholay film – Sholay Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd and Sippy Films Pvt Ltd. For this, the court has given 3 months to the respondent.
The chemistry of Jai and Veeru and Dharmendra-Amitabh Bachchan in this film is still famous.
Sholay one of the biggest films in Indian history
The court said that creating a website with the name ‘Sholay’ and selling many products including DVDs of Sholay on it is a clear malpractice. If any film has been popular among generations of the country, it is Sholay. The film’s characters, dialogues, setting and its collection at the box office are phenomenal. There is no doubt that Sholay is one of the biggest, record-breaking films in Indian history. That’s why the name Sholay has been given special protection. The court pronounced this decision on 23 May.
Businessman’s allegation- case done to recover money
The respondent argued that the title of the film is not valid for protection and there should be no place for confusion in the age of internet. The word ‘Sholay’ is also included in the dictionary. He also accused the filmmakers of registering the case to extort money.