The Mumbai Police on Wednesday filed a case against Google CEO Sundar Pichai and several other officials from the company for an alleged violation of the Copyright Act, ANI reported.
The police have registered the first information report based on a complaint by filmmaker Suneel Darshan, who alleged that Google had permitted unauthorised people to upload his film from 2017, Ek Haseena Thi Ek Deewana Tha, on YouTube.
Pichai was on Tuesday named a recipient of the Padma Bhushan award.
The police have invoked Sections 51 (copyright infringement), 63 (infringement of copyright or other rights) and 69 (offences by companies) of the Copyright Act, The Times of India reported. The FIR was registered on the directions of a local court.
Darshan said that he had not uploaded his movie anywhere or sold it to anyone, but found that it had millions of views on YouTube. “I kept requesting them [Google] to withdraw [the film from YouTube] and I was just left running from pillar to post,” he told The Times of India. “I got so frustrated; left with no choice I had to go to the court.”
The filmmaker said that a large amount of money was being made through the illegal uploading of his film, NDTV reported.
“I hold Sundar Pichai responsible since he represents Google,” Darshan said, according to NDTV. “I have tracked over 1 billion views of my Ek Haseena Thi Ek Deewana Tha have been recorded. No action has been taken despite this concern being raised with the company.”
The FIR filed by the Mumbai Police names Pichai, YouTube head Gautam Anand, Grievance Officer Joe Grier and four other employees of the company.
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