The Delhi High Court has scheduled a hearing for YouTuber Mohak Mangal’s petition seeking the transfer of a copyright and trademark infringement lawsuit filed by Asian News International (ANI) from the Patiala House Court to the High Court’s Intellectual Property (IP) Division. Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani directed the matter to be listed before a coordinate bench on Friday, citing Rule 26 of the Delhi High Court Intellectual Property Rights Division Rules, 2022.
Background of the Case
ANI, a prominent news agency, had filed a lawsuit against Mangal, alleging copyright and trademark infringement over his YouTube video titled “Dear ANI”. The suit also names comedian Kunal Kamra, AltNews co-founder Mohammed Zubair, and unknown entities (John Does) for sharing Mangal’s video on X Corp (formerly Twitter).
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Initially, ANI had filed a defamation and disparagement suit in the Delhi High Court. Later, on June 2, the agency approached the Patiala House Court, challenging 10 videos uploaded by Mangal, claiming they violated ANI’s intellectual property rights.
During the hearing, Advocate Siddhant Kumar, representing ANI, raised objections, stating that the transfer petition should be heard by the Commercial Appellate Division of the High Court under Section 15(5) of the Commercial Courts Act. However, the court noted that both the Patiala House Court case and the High Court proceedings relate to the same intellectual property dispute.
Rule 26 of the IP Division Rules allows the court to consolidate or transfer related cases to avoid conflicting rulings.
Justice Bhambhani observed:
“Since neither the Commercial Courts Act nor the IP Division Rules restrict this Court’s power under Section 24 of the CPC, and considering that consolidation and transfer are interconnected, this matter should be placed before the IP Division bench.”
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The court has adjourned ANI’s disparagement suit against Mangal, listed before Justice Jyoti Singh (IP Division), to August-end. Meanwhile, Mangal’s transfer plea argues that six out of the ten videos challenged in the Patiala House Court are already part of the High Court’s copyright infringement case, making parallel proceedings unnecessary.
The case highlights the growing legal conflicts between media organizations and digital content creators over intellectual property rights, setting a significant precedent for future disputes.
Title: MOHAK MANGAL v. ANI MEDIA PVT. LTD. AND ANR