Oscar contender Homebound faces copyright suit after author accuses Dharma of plagiarism

by

Mumbai: Oscar contender Homebound faces legal challenges as author and journalist Puja Changoiwala accuses the movie of copyright infringement. The author initiated legal proceedings against Dharma Productions Private Limited and Netflix Entertainment Services India LLP of plagarizing her 2021 novel.

In the suit, the author claims that the makers of the movie not only used the title of her novel but also copied major parts of her book in the second half of the movie, including dialogue, scenes, sequence of events and narrative structure.

Speaking to News9, she stated, “Upon watching the film, I discovered that the producers have not only misappropriated the title of my book, but have also blatantly reproduced substantial portions of my novel in the second half of the film.”

Homebound in legal trouble; here’s why

 

Consequently, Changoiwala pursued legal action and filed a case under Section 12A of the Commercial Courts Act.

“Thus, on October 15, my lawyer issued a legal notice to Dharma Productions, providing a detailed, scene-by-scene account of their infringement of my rights, and calling upon them to cease, desist, and refrain from further exploitation of this film in its current infringing form. In their replies to this legal notice, the producers refused to accept the violation and have continued to exploit the film on Netflix,” said the author.

She also stated that it was important for writers to defend their work and stop the exploitation of their work. “To protect my rights as an author, I have now initiated legal action against Dharma Productions and Netflix by filing an application before the Maharashtra State Legal Services Authority under Section 12A of the Commercial Courts Act, 2015—the pre-institution mediation process, which is mandatory before a suit is filed in the Bombay High Court. I know I’m challenging powerful entities by taking this step, but I believe it’s important for writers to defend their work when it’s misappropriated and exploited without their consent,” said the author.

She also revealed that she has not contacted the Screenwriters Association.