Bengaluru court issues order to block Congress Twitter handles over copyright issue

Court also directs electronic audit of Twitter, YouTube and Facebook accounts of the party by appointing a commissioner

Photo of Twitter page of Indian National Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra/

A city civil and sessions court on Monday directed Twitter Inc to temporarily block the social media accounts of the Indian National Congress — https:twitter.com./INCIndia and https:twitter.com/Bharatjodo — till November 21 for unauthorised use of the copyrighted sound records of film KGF Chapter-2 in the party’s Bharat Jodo campaign on various social media.

Also, the Court appointed a Commissioner to visit the websites of INC, party’s leaders Rahul Gandhi and Supriya Shrinate, and conduct electronic audit of social media accounts in Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, etc and preserve the infringing materials available on these media.

The 85^th Additional City Civil and Sessions Judge (Commercial Disputes) Lathakumari M. has also temporarily restrained the INC and its leaders and their managers and agents from illegally using, synchronising, uploading, storing and communicating to the public the pirated copies of the copyrighted works, till the next date of hearing on November 21.

The interim order has been passed on a suit filed by M/S MRT Music, which owns the copyrights for the sound records of the film KGF Chapter-2.

The plaintiff company has alleged that the INC and its leaders have violated the copyrights by illegally using the sound records of the film by affixing party’s logo on the videos uploaded in various social media accounts of the INC.

The Court has considered the documents produced by MRT Music along with the suit and also the CD produced by the company by playing the same in court system.

“The plaintiff has specifically produced CD showing the side by side file, i.e., original version of copyrighted work with that of the illegally synchronised version. These prima facie materials available before this court at this stage establishes that if same is encouraged plaintiff who is in the business of acquiring cinematography films, songs, music albums etc., will be put to irreparable injury and further same leads to encouraging the piracy at large if the ex-parte temporary injunction is not granted, the Court said in its order.

While observing that the object of granting a temporary injunction would be defeated by delay if a Commissioner is not appointed to make local inspection,” the Court appointing S.N. Venkateshmurthy, District System Administrator of Computer Section, Commercial Court, Bengaluru as Commissioner to conduct electronic audit.