Nishka Srinivas Veluvali
Published On: January 21, 2022 at 18:53 IST
The Delhi High Court denied to put a Stay Order on the upcoming Legends League Cricket tournament.
The Court stated that no one can claim their copyright on the game of Cricket and there are no copyrights on the growth and expansion of the game that is from the five – day test matches to the current format of T – 20 cricket matches.
However, the Court has Ordered the organisers to reflect their earnings and expenses with regard to the matches and to file them accordingly within 30 days of the Tournament’s closure.
The Single Judge Bench, Justice Asha Menon also issued Summons to the Defendants, seeking them to file their submissions within 30 days and instructed the Plaintiff to file the replications with the Joint Registrar within 1 month.
The Legends League Cricket is scheduled to commence on Thursday, with the three teams competing that is Indian Maharajas, Asian Lions and World Giants.
The teams are consisting of the retired cricket players like Yuvraj Singh, Virendra Sehwag, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Akhtar, Kevin Pieterson, Jacque Kallis and many other in the matches at Oman’s Amerat Cricket Ground.
The ongoing Case was registered by Samir Kasal, who claimed that this idea of tournament belonged to him and that he discussed this with the Respondent Prakash Mehta, who went on to initiate the League with other Defendants.
Justice Menon stated that, “Over the centuries, several permutations and combinations in the format of playing the game of cricket has evolved. As a result, it stands to reason that there can be no copyright in the evolution of cricket over time”.
Justice Menon also ruled that these “permutations and combinations” can include the choice of venue and duration of the matches as well.
The Court also stated that, “Even if the Plaintiff ‘s contention that his combination is exclusive is accepted, there are enough differences to show that the format used in the league is not a knockoff of his idea.”
The Court while concluding asserted that the game of cricket is played with the purpose of monetary gain and if the matches are not conducted then the Defendants, Players, Sponsors, Media Partners and the public will overall face losses that would not be compensated easily.
Also read: Copyright Act- Ownership and Infringement