A Delhi court on Monday dismissed Warner Bros's petition against 'Mirchi Movies', the makers of Bollywood film 'Hari Puttar' over the claimed similarities in the title and content of the international film 'Harry Potter'.
Hollywood's Warner Bros., which owns the rights to the Harry Potter movies, had sued the producers of the film claiming similarities to the international film and literary phenomenon.
'Hari Puttar-a comedy of terrors', which was slated to open in the cinemas on September 12, is story of a young boy fighting two criminals who try to steal a secret formula devised by the boy's scientist father.
The court said that Warner Bros have brought their case after three years of the registration of the name and that people can distinguish between Hari Puttar and Harry Potter.
"Justice Reva Khanna said that Warner Brothers cannot get the stay because they delayed it from 2005. Also, the lower courts have maintained that there are no similarities between the stories of the two movies. And because of the delay, they could not get the stay," said Pratibha Singh, the lawyer of 'Mirchi Movies'.
Mirchi Movies argued that 'Puttar' meant 'son' in Punjabi language and the movie had nothing to do with Harry Potter movies.
Manish Puri, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Mirchi Movies limited said that the release of the film that got delayed due to the legal row is now slated for this Friday.
"We are happy. We have worked hard for the movie and now with Pratibha Singh on this case the movie would now release on Friday and the premiere would take place on Thursday. We are happy, 'Hari Puttar' is completely Indian, it's a nice feeling," said Puri.
The producers of "Hari Puttar" said they had registered the title more than two years ago and the film bore no resemblance to the "Harry Potter" franchise.
In October last year, an Indian court allowed a community group in West Bengal to create a replica of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, rejecting a petition from author J.K. Rowling for copyright breach.
The British creator of the boy wizard Harry Potter and Warner Bros., which controls the rights to the series in India, had sought two million rupees in compensation from the group, which had erected the structure for a Hindu festival. (ANI)
