Dhanush-Nayanthara Controversy and Copyright Law

• The 2015 film Naanum Rowdy Dhaan, produced by Wunderbar Films, was used in a biopic by Netflix.

• Nayanthara had sought permission to use excerpts from the film, but was met with silence.

• Netflix used a short video clip captured by Nayanthara during filming for the biopic.

• Copyright law vests the copyright of a cinematographic product with its producer, but not all related copyrights necessarily lie with the producer.

• The clipping’s use is unlikely to have violated the producer’s rights.

• The ‘fair dealing’ section allows public use of a copyrighted work for ‘fair’ purposes.

• Producers must show contracts to control BTS recordings before a court.

• Courts need to take a strong stance against unjustified legal threats using copyright law.