The Delhi High Court has issued a restraining order against multiple entities to prevent the reproduction and distribution of content owned by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, which was established by ISKCON founder Srila Prabhupada. While recognizing that there can be no copyright on religious scriptures, The High Court emphasized that adaptations of such texts, considered "transformative works" like Ramanand Sagar's Ramayana or BR Chopra's Mahabharat, are entitled to protection against piracy.
Justice Prathiba M Singh, presiding over the Trust's lawsuit, clarified that copyright applies to original elements within works that preach, teach, or explain religious scriptures, and the unauthorized piracy of such copyrighted content cannot be allowed. The Court’s recent interim order restrained defendants from printing, reproducing, or disseminating any part of the plaintiff's works through various mediums, including print, audio-visual, and electronic forms.
The plaintiff had argued that it holds copyrights to the works of spiritual teacher Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who simplified religious texts for easier understanding by the public. The defendants were found to be making these works available on their online platforms, mobile apps, and social media without proper authorization.
The Court ordered Google and Meta to remove the infringing content from their platforms and instructed authorities to suspend and block the offending links.
The Court clarified that while scriptures like the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita are in the public domain and cannot be copyrighted, adaptations and interpretations of such texts, including explanations, summaries, and audio-visual works like television series, are eligible for copyright protection as original works. The Court stressed that the unauthorized reproduction of the plaintiff's content, including summaries, introductions, and covers, impacts the plaintiff's revenue and cannot be permitted. Consequently, the Court granted an ex-parte interim injunction in favour of the plaintiff Trust, recognizing a prima facie case for such relief.
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