On behalf of Sony Pictures Networks India Limited, Nanavati and Company filed a case against Atul Saraf, the owner of ABS Digital Cable Private Limited, and Birendra Mishra, a local cable operator, for alleged copyright violation. The case has been filed at Samta Nagar Police Station.
Details of FIR
According to the FIR, Atul Saraf, the owner of ABS Digital Cable Private Limited, had signed an agreement with Sony Pictures Network India Limited. However, ABS Digital Cable Company failed to fulfill its financial obligations to Sony, leading to a breach of the agreement. Sony Pictures Networks India Limited has authorized Nanavati and Company to take legal action against entities violating Sony's copyright regulations.
However, ABS Digital Cable Private Limited illegally linked their cables with a local cable operator named '7 Stars Digital,' exploiting the signal of the Sony channels to broadcast content through the ABS cable network. On June 2, 2023, Consultant Upendra Jalgaonkar, along with representatives from Nanavati and Company, investigated to ascertain whether the Sony channels were being telecast in areas such as Lokhandwala Township, Akurdi Road, and Kandivali East. They discovered that Atul Saraf, in collusion with local cable operator Birendra Mishra, was illegally telecasting Sony channels through Atul Saraf's cable network. This unauthorized telecast included Sony, Set Max, Sony Sub, and Sony Marathi channels.
Decisive action against ABS Digital Cable Pvt Ltd
On June 4, Nanavati and the Company took decisive action by sending emails to ABS Digital Cable Private Limited and the local cable operator, alerting them to stop the illegal telecast of Sony channels; otherwise, they would face legal action. However, both entities ignored the notice and continued telecasting the channels without a license.
Subsequently, on behalf of Sony company, Nanavati and the company filed a case against Atul Saraf and Birendra Mishra under sections 63 (copyright in any work) and 69 (offense committed by a company) of the Copyright Act and 34 (common intention) and 379 (theft) of the Indian Penal Code at Samta Nagar police station on December 1.
Upendra Jalgaon, Consultant at Nanavati and Company, stated, "We complained about this matter in June 2023 at the police station. The approval was received from senior police officers in October. However, I was out of state for work at that time, so the FIR was officially registered in December. It's noteworthy that Atul Saraf has faced legal action in the past for the same offense."
