Now Reading: Telecasting Gurbani for religious purpose not infringement: Delhi HC
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Telecasting Gurbani for religious purpose not infringement: Delhi HC
The Delhi High Court on Friday refused to pass an interim order restraining a private channel from live telecasting Gurbani from the Golden Temple. Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani observed that using Gurbani…
The Story in Brief
The Delhi High Court on Friday refused to pass an interim order restraining a private channel from live telecasting Gurbani from the Golden Temple. Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani observed that using Gurbani from the Guru Granth Sahib for a genuine religious purpose without commercial exploitation may not amount to copyright infringement. The court said the recital is a literary-cum-musical work, and when used for a bona fide religious ceremony, it is not an infringement. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) had sued Galactic Television and Communications (GTC) for violating its broadcast reproduction rights under Section 37 of the Copyright Act. The SGPC argued that it holds exclusive rights to the live broadcast and has not licensed any party. GTC countered that it charges no money from viewers. The court issued summons and fixed September 24 for the next hearing.
The Indian Opinion
Two narratives are fighting here: that the SGPC holds an absolute copyright over Gurbani broadcasts, and that any re-telecast is theft. Neither is quite right. The court has rightly drawn a line between a bona fide religious ceremony and commercial exploitation. The channel says it charges no money; the SGPC says it has exclusive rights. The test to watch for is whether the private channel begins monetising the telecast before September 24, or whether the SGPC can prove that the rebroadcast harms its own YouTube revenue despite being free.
Sources (2): hindustantimes.com, livelaw.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
