“Hari puttar” Jumps Big Legal Hurtle

If you have been following our earlier stories on this subject then this will be of interest. The new Indian film “Hari puttar” has dodged its first legal bullet after a New Delhi high court dismissed the Warner Bros.’ lawsuit against the makers of the film on Monday.

Warner had brought the suit against Mirchi Movies, the Indian studio responsible for the movie, stating that its title was a rip-off of the internationally known “Harry Potter” franchise.

The makers of the Indian film said they chose the name “Hari puttar: A Comedy of Terrors,” not due to its similarity with J.K. Rowling’s famous character, but because of the name’s significance to those living in that country. In Hindi and Punjabi “hari puttar” means “God’s son” and is pronounced like “hurry puther,” a sound nothing like “Harry Potter.”

Justice Reva Khetrapal agreed with the Indian filmmakers and issued a refusal for a stay order on its release.

“The court said that Warner Bros had known the title of the film since 2005 and had delayed bringing the case to court until the last moment,” stated attorney Pratibha Singh to the press.

“We brought these proceedings because we believe that the proposed title and marketing of the defendants’ film infringed our intellectual property rights and unfairly sought to confuse consumers and benefit from the well-known and well-loved Harry Potter brand, ” countered Warners spokesperson Scott Rowe. “As a content company, it is imperative that we continue to protect our valuable intellectual property rights in this property and we will now be reviewing the judgment and considering our options.”

It now appears that the roadblock imposed by the suit has been lifted and “Hari puttar: A Comedy of Terrors,” which missed its intended September 12 release date, can now be seen by the general public.