IUCAA, Pune serves Rs 50L notice on TV serial for Pu La copyright infringement
According to the notice, the copyrights of Pu La’s literature after his death was with the author’s wife Sunita. In her will, Sunita Deshpande passed on ownership of the copyrights of Pu La’s work to IUCAA.
The Inter-university centre for astronomy and astrophysics (IUCAA) has served a legal notice to Sony SAB TV, and Dashami Creations, producer of TV serial Namune, which is based on the literature of prominent Marathi author PL Deshpande, for “infringement of copyrights”.
In its notice to Sony Sab TV and producers of Namune, IUCAA has sought Rs 50,00,000 towards damages and compensation for infringing the copyright as well as the refraining of telecasting further episodes.
HT has a copy of the notice served on August 10. Copyrights of PL Deshpande’s literature is currently owned by IUCAA, the notice said.
According to the notice, the copyrights of Pu La’s literature after his death was with the author’s wife Sunita. In her will, Sunita Deshpande passed on ownership of the copyrights of Pu La’s work to IUCAA.
“You are hereby called upon to publicly apologise my client for your illegal act of infringement of copyright of my client and pay an amount of Rs 50,00,000 towards damages and compensation within seven days of receipt of the present notice, failing which, my client shall be constrained to initiate legal action against you, which may involve criminal complaint(s) for the cost and consequences of which, you would be solely liable,” stated the notice sent by advocate Kalyani Pathak, on behalf of IUCAA.
Nitin Vaidya, of Dashami Creations, said he has received the notice and his legal team has responded. “I have received the legal notice and my lawyer has already replied to it,” said Vaidya, who is one of the respondent in the notice.
The serial is largely based on characters created by Deshpande, popularly known as Pu La, through his book ‘Vyakti and Valli’.