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Kannada actor-filmmaker Rakshit Shetty.
Credit: Instagram/rakshitshetty
Bengaluru: Reacting to the copyright infringement FIR filed against actor-filmmaker Rakshit Shetty, Paramvah Studios has issued an open letter on its Instagram page stating that the production house has decided to fight the case in court.
The case was filed by MRT Music alleging that the production house had used two songs owned by it without any authorisation in the film Bachelor Party.
Paramvah Studios was floated by Rakshit Shetty, who was named in the FIR.
The police said on July 15 that the complaint was filed against Shetty and his production house by Naveen Kumar, who is a partner at MRT Music, at Yeshwanthapura police station, alleging that two songs — ‘Gaalimathu’ and ‘Nyaya Ellide’ — were used in the comedy film without obtaining permission.
A notice has been sent to the actor in this connection, police added.
In the FIR, the complainant had alleged that Shetty used these songs in violation of The Copyright Act without purchasing broadcast and ownership rights. He also alleged that discussions were held between the two parties in January about using these songs but they were unsuccessful.
However, in the open letter, Paramvah Studios has stated that the songs in contention were used in the film indirectly — in one scene, a school girl sings one of the songs while in her class and for the other song, a short clip of it was shown playing on a TV in the background.
“We had previously spoken with MRT before the Bachelor Party movie’s release, but the price quoted was beyond our budget and not open for negotiation,” the letter stated.
The letter went on to question if these instances mentioned were really infringement and if exorbitant prices quoted the MRT are justified, given the fleeting nature of the usage of the songs.
“To seek justice and clarity, we have decided to fight this case in court. Not just for us but for any and every filmmaker who might face similar challenges in the future,” the letter added.
When contacted by PTI, a representative of Paramvah Studios, choosing to remain anonymous, said the company does not wish to comment any further on this, as advised by their legal counsel.
Bachelor Party was directed by Abhijit Mahesh and was released on January 26.