T-Series, Cine1 settle dispute on ‘Animal’ OTT release outside of court helobaba.com
Cine1 Private Ltd and Super Cassettes Industries Private Limited (T-Series) have settled their dispute outside of court regarding contract violations related to the Ranbir Kapoor-starring “Animal” movie, according to a report by Bar and Bench. The Delhi High Court received the notice on Monday, which paves the way for the movie’s release on over-the-top (OTT) platforms.
Presiding over the case, Justice Sanjeev Narula asked both parties to bring the agreement on record and the matter is scheduled to be considered for disposal on January 24. The movie that hit theatres across India on December 1, 2023, was due to be released on Netflix on January 26, coinciding with India’s Republic Day celebrations.
Cine1, co-producers of Animal, initiated legal proceedings against T-Series, alleging breach of agreement in the production of the film “Animal.” The suit claims that both production houses had entered into an agreement, entitling Cine1 to a 35 per cent profit share and intellectual property rights in the movie. Cine1 Studios filed a plea with the Delhi High Court to put a hold on the movie’s release on the OTT platform Netflix.
According to Cine1, T-Series proceeded with making, promoting, and releasing the film without obtaining approval, incurred expenses, and received box office revenues without sharing pertinent details. The plaintiff further asserted that T-Series failed to honour the agreed-upon profit share.
During the hearing on January 15, T-Series contested Cine1’s claims, arguing that Cine1 did not invest financially in the film. T-Series asserted that Cine1 relinquished all intellectual property rights for Rs 2.6 crore, citing an amendment to the contract made on August 2, 2022. T-Series also claimed that this fact was concealed in Cine1’s suit.
Cine1, however, maintained its position on the profit share and intellectual property rights and sought a stay on the release of “Animal” on OTT platforms until T-Series complied with the agreed-upon terms, including providing profit share, due credits, certified production costs, box office collections, and details of agreements with Culver Max, Netflix, and Vanga.
Senior Advocate Sandeep Sethi presented the case on behalf of Cine1, assisted by a team of advocates. Senior Advocate Amit Sibal, alongside advocates Harsh Kaushik, Sachin Akhoury, and Arpit Srivastava, represented T-Series during the legal proceedings.
The high court asked the defendant to file their reply on January 20 and scheduled a hearing on the matter on January 22. However, both parties appeared to have settled the dispute outside of court. It is unclear if the movie will be released on its previously scheduled date.
First Published: Jan 22 2024 | 4:54 PM IST
