The digital premiere of the Malayalam thriller Drishyam 3 has hit a major legal roadblock. The Madras High Court has issued an interim injunction restraining the film’s makers from releasing its Telugu-dubbed version on any OTT platform.
The order was passed by Justice K Kumaresh Babu following a plea moved by the film production company, Rajkumar Theatre Pvt Ltd.
The company approached the court seeking an urgent stay to protect its business interests, asserting that it holds the exclusive copyright to remake and exploit Drishyam 3 in the Telugu language.
According to the petitioner, releasing a Telugu-dubbed version of the Malayalam original anywhere in the world on a streaming platform would directly infringe upon their exclusive remake rights.
The court noted that despite private notices being issued to the defendants, including the producers and director, none of them had entered an appearance or were present before the court. Recognizing that the movie was already scheduled for its digital debut on June 18, the court stepped in to grant immediate interim protection.
The temporary injunction effectively stops the producers, director, and their distribution licensees from exploiting the film’s Telugu audio rights on OTT space until the legal dispute over the language copyrights is fully resolved.
