Copyright infringement: Court orders Major Ravi, Haneef Muhammad to pay ₹30 lakh to rightful author of ‘Karmayodha’

A Kerala court has ruled that screenwriter Regi Mathew is the rightful author and copyright holder of the story, script and screenplay of the 2012 Malayalam film Karmayodha, and ordered the film’s director Major Ravi and producer Haneef Muhammad to pay him ₹30 lakh in damages for copyright infringement.

The judgment, delivered by the Commercial Court in Kottayam, held that Mathew suffered loss and injury after his work was used without proper authorisation or credit. Principal Sub-Judge Manish DA also issued permanent injunctions restraining the defendants from exhibiting, remaking, dubbing or publicising the film without acknowledging Mathew as the writer of the story, script and screenplay.

Mathew had approached the court in 2012, alleging that director Major Ravi and producer Haneef Muhammad used his literary work for Karmayodha without due credit or remuneration. Two other writers, Shaji S V and Sumesh V Robin, were later impleaded as additional defendants.

According to the complaint, Mathew was approached by the director in 2010 to develop a screenplay. He subsequently wrote a script titled 'Vishudha Ravanan', which was retained by the director. He was later asked to develop a new story based on human trafficking.

The court noted that Mathew completed the one-line story, screenplay and dialogue in 2011 and handed over the work after discussions on remuneration. He suggested three names for movie, 'Raksha', 'For sale' and 'Karmayodha', all of which were accepted but it was said the name would be finalised later. He also demanded ₹30 lakh while retaining the right to sell the work in other languages, but no agreement was finalised.

Ravi also said that he would need to show the script, screenplay and dialogue to the producer and Mathew, trusting Ravi, handed them over. 

In September 2012, Mathew came across media reports stating that Karmayodha was being produced with the director credited as the story writer, while other publications named different writers for the screenplay and dialogue. The film was released in December 2012 despite an interim court order restraining the defendants from displaying the names of writers, subject to the outcome of the suit.

The court observed that the defendants commercially exploited the film by selling satellite, dubbing and home video rights. While there was no clear evidence of the total profits earned, it accepted that Mathew suffered financial loss and mental distress due to the denial of authorship.

Rejecting his claim for ₹40 lakh, the court held that reasonable compensation of ₹30 lakh was justified and directed the director and producer to pay the amount within two months, failing which interest at six per cent per annum would apply.

The court also declared Mathew the absolute owner of the authorship rights and copyright of the story, script and screenplay of Karmayodha, restrained the defendants from reproducing or publishing the work without his name, and ordered them to bear the costs of the suit.