Adv Utkarsh Tiwari Vs Adv Kunwar Arpit Paliwal (Competition Commission of India)
The Information was filed by Adv Utkarsh Tiwari and Adv Kunwar Arpit Paliwal under Section 19(1)(a) of the Competition Act, 2002, alleging contravention of Sections 3 and 4 of the Act by Eros International Media Ltd. The allegations related to the re-release of the feature film Raanjhanaa, originally released in 2013 and protected under the Copyright Act, 1957.
According to the Informants, the opposite party held theatrical and television distribution rights but did not possess rights to alter the content of the film. It was alleged that in August 2025, the opposite party re-released the film in Tamil Nadu after changing its ending using artificial intelligence, which, according to the Informants, amounted to anti-competitive conduct. They alleged that exclusive agreements and rights related to the original content were misused to cause an appreciable adverse effect on competition, and that the opposite party abused its dominant position in the motion picture industry to earn profits in the absence of regulatory safeguards governing such technological alterations.
The Informants further alleged that the conduct could involve anti-competitive agreements such as exclusive dealing, price fixing, allocation of markets, and supply restriction, affecting consumers’ choice and pricing. They claimed that the altered version was being screened in theatres and was proposed to be released on OTT platforms, which could adversely affect competition. On this basis, they sought investigation, permanent restraint on AI-based alteration of original content, policy recommendations to the Government, and interim relief under Section 33 to stop screening and distribution of the altered version.
