The Madras High Court on Tuesday set aside proceedings against actor Vijay, Lyca productions, which is the producer of Tamil film 'Kaththi', and three others in a copyright infringement case.
It directed a judicial magistrate court to summon Kaththi director A.R. Murugadoss and compare the short film Thaga Bhoomi and the 2014 Vijay-starrer and said it could go ahead with proceedings if there was prima facie evidence regarding the complaint of copyrightviolation.
Anbu Rajasekhar, director of Thaga Bhoomi (thirsty earth), had filed a plea in the lower court, claiming that the plot of the film had been copied from his documentary.
Justice G R Swaminathan of the court's Madurai bench was on Tuesday hearing a plea filed by Vijay and others seeking quashing of proceedings in the Thanjavur judicial magistrate court.
The judge set aside the proceedings against Vijay, Lyca productions and three others, saying there was no material against them.
The petitioners said Thaga Bhoomi had not been registered under the copyright act.
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Rajasekhar had not establishedthat he was the owner of the short film. Besides, the theme was a common one relating to farmers' miseries and not copied one, they submitted.
Rajasekhar contended that Kaththi was a copy of Thaga Bhoomi's plot.