'Unauthorised use' of KGF-2 music: Karnataka HC sets aside Bengaluru court's interim order of blocking Twitter accounts of Congress and Bharat Jodo Yatra

BENGALURU: The Karnataka high court on Tuesday set aside the interim order passed by a civil court in Bengaluru directing the blocking of the Twitter handles of Congress and Bharat Jodo Yatra.
The order is subject to the Congress party removing the offending content before noon on Wednesday.
A division bench headed by justice G Narendar passed the order after appellant Congress undertook that it will remove the offending content from their @INCIndia and @BharatJodo Twitter handles by Wednesday.
Partly allowing the appeal, the division bench said that the matter is remitted back to the civil court and the order passed by it will not come in the way of plaintiff exercise it's right over the alleged copyright violation partly allowing an appeal filed by the Congress party.
Earlier, appearing for the Indian National Congress (INC), senior lawyer Abhishek Singhvi argued that the ex-parte order has been issued without recording any urgency, as required under Order 39 rule 3 of Civil and Code.
Admitting that the playing of the 45-second music clip of Kannada movie KGF-Chapter 2 was a mistake, Singhvi, however, termed the order of the civil court as disproportionate, in reference to the order for blocking the Twitter handles of INC and Bharat Jodo Yatra.
The suit was filed on November 2 and within a few days, without issuing notice, the interim order was passed, he told the court.
According to him, the order has hurt the defendants in the middle of Bharat Jodo Yatra, paralysing the social media expression and at the same time, blocking of Twitter handles of Congress and Bharat Jodo Yatra is of no benefit or relevance to the plaintiff.
Acting on a suit filed by MRT Music, alleging infringement of copyright by the usage of KGF-chapter 2 music in the videos uploading by the Congress party in relation to Bharat Jodo Yatra, the Bengaluru court had directed Twitter to take down those videos and also block Twitter app of INC and Bharat Jodo Yatra. In addition, an electronic audit was also ordered.