Jersey Faces Copyright Lawsuit

Jersey, starring Shahid Kapoor, will be released on time despite a lawsuit filed by a writer named Rupesh Jaiswal, alleging copyright infringement over the story. The Bombay High Court has denied a stay of execution for the film, which is slated to be released in theaters on April 22.

After a detailed hearing on Wednesday, Justice RI Chagla issued the order, in which writer Rajneesh Jaiswal alleged that the producers had plagiarised his script titled The Wall. In 2007, the script was registered with the Film Writers Association, which is now known as the Screenwriters Association.

Jaiswal's lawyer, Vishal Kanade, requested a stay of execution for the film, which is set to be released on April  22. Kanade claimed that the creators of Jersey unlawfully plagiarized the premise, story, and idea from Jaiswal's script, and that the Telugu film, which was released in 2019, was based on his work. They also stated that there were numerous similarities between Jaiswal's writing and Jersey.

Kanade contended that the plagiarised version of his script had been significantly altered in order to avoid detection by the plagiarism scanner, and that the filmmakers had unjustly profited themselves while incurring massive economic loss to Jaiswal. "The fact that the Telugu film is now being adapted and remade in Hindi in itself shows that huge profits have already been made," Kanade noted.

Dr Birendra Saraf, representing producer Allu Aravind, contended that Jaiswal was not seeking damages for the Telugu film itself, but rather for the subsequent Hindi remake created two years later. He argued that Jaiswal's assertion that he was unaware of the Telugu film was implausible.

"The film was dubbed in Hindi and has clocked in over 10 crore views on YouTube. It was available on most OTT platforms. It is not just made for Telugu speaking people, but across the country, 10 crore people viewing it and with cricket in the theme. It is inconceivable that he has not viewed it. It is unbelievable that the plaintiff did not know about the Telugu film which was viewed widely and much acclaimed," Saraf complied.

In order for copyright to be established, it was necessary to have access to the content that could be copyrighted, which was lacking in this case. Saraf went on to explain, "The script is registered is all that he says. He does not claim that he had parted with anyone. If I do not have access to his film, then how can I copy it?" Saraf requested that no relief be awarded to Jaiswal as a result of this.

After hearing both sides extensively, Justice Chagla denied temporary relief to Jaiswal.