Reliance threatening legal action, says techie who asked for ₹1 crore to give up JioHotstar domain

Reliance Industries has threatened to sue an unnamed app developer who has demanded ₹1 crore from them after buying the ‘JioHotstar’ domain name.

Published on: Oct 24, 2024, 15:33:58 IST

By Abhimanyu Mathur

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On Wednesday, it emerged a Delhi-based app developer had purchased the domain name JioHotstar in anticipation of JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar's proposed merger. The techie, who remained unknown, left a message for Jio's parent company, Reliance Industries, saying they were willing to sell the domain to them. Now, it seems that Reliance has threatened the person with legal action. (Also read: Delhi techie snags ‘JioHotstar’ domain pre-merger, demands Cambridge education funding for sale to Reliance)

JioCinema is an OTT platform owned by Viacom, which is owned by Reliance Industries

The ₹1 crore price tag

The domain name JioHotstar had a simple landing page with a message from the said developer that they purchased the domain last year when they first heard about the merger. "When I saw this domain become available, I felt things might just fall into place. My intention of buying this domain was simple: if this merger happens, I might be able to fulfill my dream of studying at Cambridge," the message read.

On Thursday, an update was posted to the website, stating that after a senior official from Reliance reached out, the developer demanded £93,345 ( ₹1.01 crore), which is the fee for the course the developer wants to pursue at Cambridge University. "Update as of October 24th: An Executive from Reliance reached out - Ambujesh Yadav Ji, AVP, Commercials. A request was made for £93,345, which represents the tuition fees for the EMBA program," read the update.

Reliance threatens to sue

However, as per the developer, Reliance has not just denied the request but also threatened legal action. "The request has been denied. Reliance will proceed with legal action. I hope they will reconsider this kind request. I wish such a large group could help. Thank you to all who shared and sent kind words. I don't have the power to stand against Reliance," the developer further added.

Asking for help from the legal fraternity, the developer maintained that they had not violated any trademark or copyrights. "I don't feel I infringed any trademark when I bought this in 2023, since JioHotstar was not even in existence at that time. No body had trademark for JioHotstar when I bought it. I might automatically lose access of this domain in few hours. If any legal professional could help, I would be grateful," they added.

HT reached out to both JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar for comment on the matter, but had not received any responses till the time of this story being published. The story will be updated based on any responses received from either party.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abhimanyu Mathur
Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Film Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world.Read More

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