Media firm seeks $3 million in damages as dispute highlights rising tensions in country’s content market
NEW DELHI:
India’s Zee Entertainment has filed a lawsuit against the Reliance-Disney joint venture, accusing the country’s largest entertainment group of using its copyrighted music without authorisation after licensing agreements expired.
According to court documents seen by Reuters, Zee is seeking $3 million in damages, alleging that its music catalogue was used and exploited across the venture’s streaming platform and television channels beyond the agreed licensing period.
The case, filed in New Delhi on April 14, marks the latest escalation in tensions between Zee and the entity formed following the $8.5 billion merger between Reliance and Disney in 2024, now operating under the name JioStar.
In its 1,800-page filing, Zee claims the alleged infringement occurred at least 50 times after licensing agreements expired in 2024 and 2025 and were not renewed due to disagreements over commercial terms between the two parties.
“The illegal exploitation thereof amounted to copyright infringement,” Zee said in its submission, urging the court to halt any continued use of its music works across the defendant’s platforms.
JioStar, led by billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance, owns an extensive library of entertainment content and broadcast rights for major sporting events, distributed through its television network and streaming platform JioHotstar, which has around 500 million monthly users.
Zee, one of India’s oldest media companies, operates multiple television channels and a streaming service, and says it holds rights to more than 19,450 songs across 17 languages.
The matter was briefly heard earlier this week, with the court directing JioStar to ensure that no ongoing infringement of Zee’s content takes place while proceedings continue, and to comply within 15 days. The next hearing has been scheduled for July 23.
Court filings indicate that both sides had engaged in discussions in recent months, exchanging letters and legal notices over the disputed use of music content.
In a December communication, JioStar stated that it had taken “extensive steps” to remove infringing material from its platforms, including legacy programming, but maintained that residual archival content did not constitute unlawful use.
Zee has challenged this position, arguing that continued availability of such content still amounts to infringement.
In a letter dated March 16, JioStar said it “categorically rejects” Zee’s demand for damages, describing it as coercive, while adding that it remains open to an amicable and commercially sensible resolution.
The dispute comes amid broader legal action by Zee to protect its music catalogue, including a separate lawsuit against retailer Nykaa over alleged unauthorised use of songs in promotional content.
Zee and Reliance are also engaged in arbitration proceedings in London related to a separate cricket rights dispute, where Reliance is seeking $1 billion in damages, a claim Zee has denied and is contesting.