Mumbai, December 13:  The Bombay High Court has issued a temporary order against Gaurav Taneja, the popular YouTuber behind the 'Flying Beast' channel, in a copyright case by Castrol India Ltd. The case claims Taneja did not credit Castrol’s zero-gravity flight campaign, leading the court to stop him from using their content without permission. The court also directed Taneja to remove two videos featuring the campaign from his YouTube channels.

Castrol India Ltd., a leading multinational company specializing in manufacturing lubricants for automobiles, introduced its innovative 'Castronomy' campaign in April 2024. As part of the campaign, the company collaborated with several video bloggers and influencers, inviting them to participate in and document an extraordinary zero-gravity flight experience.

‘Experienced Zero Gravity!!’

Castrol India Ltd. vs. Gaurav Taneja

As reported by LiveLaw, from May 13 to 15, Taneja participated in the flight experience alongside Eric Decker, an American YouTube vlogger. During this time, Taneja, under Castrol's creative direction, captured videos and photographs, referred to as 'Raw Data,' in line with the campaign's guidelines. Decker also collaborated with Taneja to help create content for the campaign. Gaurav Taneja and Ritu Rathee Getting Divorced? Flying Beast Breaks Silence on Cheating Allegations Made by Wife (Read Statement).

After returning, Taneja’s representative shared a draft of the first video with Castrol’s agency for review. The video, as per campaign requirements, highlighted Castrol's products and the 'Castronomy' campaign. However, Castrol claims that Taneja later demanded INR 30 lakhs for delivering the Raw Data and the finalized content, referred to as 'Collab Content.' Castrol alleges that despite multiple requests, Taneja failed to deliver either. Gaurav Taneja aka Flying Beast Posts Happy Selfie With Wife Ritu Rathee Amid Divorce Rumours, YouTuber Talks About Relationship Privacy! (See Pic).

Subsequently, Taneja uploaded two videos on his YouTube channel— “Ready to go in Zero Gravity with @airrack” on October 29 and “Flying in ZERO GRAVITY” on November 1. These videos, however, did not credit Castrol or promote its campaign. Instead, Castrol claims that Taneja unauthorizedly used significant parts of the Raw Data for his personal benefit.

Castrol and its agency repeatedly asked Taneja to remove the videos. Without Castrol's approval, the agency even offered him INR 5 lakhs to take them down, but the issue remained unresolved.

Court Findings and Decision

The court ruled that the balance of convenience favoured Castrol and stated that the company would suffer irreparable harm if relief was not granted. Consequently, the court issued a temporary injunction restraining Taneja and his associates from using the Raw Data or Collab Content on any platform. Taneja was also directed to delete the disputed videos from his social media accounts.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 13, 2024 12:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).