'YouTubers Don't Have Licence to Tarnish Others' Image': Madras High Court Asks YouTube to Deposit Money Earned by Savukku Shankar Through ‘Defamatory’ Videos
The Madras High Court, presided over by Justice N Sathish Kumar, ruled on Tuesday that “YouTubers don't have licence to tarnish others' image.” The court directed YouTube to deposit the revenue generated by ‘Savukku’ Shankar, a YouTuber who had published “defamatory” videos against Lyca Productions.
Chennai, March 20: The Madras High Court, presided over by Justice N Sathish Kumar, ruled on Tuesday that “YouTubers don't have licence to tarnish others' image.” The court directed YouTube to deposit the revenue generated by ‘Savukku’ Shankar, a YouTuber who had published “defamatory” videos against Lyca Productions.
According to a report in TOI, Lyca Productions had filed a lawsuit seeking damages of 1 crore from Shankar for a video he published that falsely linked the company to an international drug case. The company claimed that Shankar, who presents himself as an ‘independent journalist’ and ‘whistleblower’, has a history of making unfounded allegations against various entities including political parties, elected officials, the judiciary, and government authorities. Madras High Court orders YouTuber to Pay Rs 50 Lakh Damages to RSS Affiliated Seva Bharathi for Making False Allegations.
The court admitted the suit and issued an interim injunction preventing Shankar from publishing further videos against Lyca Productions. The company stated that Shankar’s video, which contained several baseless statements against them, was viewed by thousands on social media and tarnished their image. Madras High Court Grants Protection to Man Seeking To Remove Stone 'Projected As Idol' at Property Entrance, Says 'Unfortunate That Superstitious Beliefs Still Prevail'.
The court said that if the statements to be made were based solely upon public records, including court records, then the applicant would be at liberty to make a fair comment or criticism on the basis of those materials available in the public domain.
Lyca Productions’ advocate, V Raghavachari, argued that individuals should not be allowed to evade the consequences of making false statements that damage others’ reputation.
The Senior Counsel told the Court that earlier this month, Shankar had posted several defamatory videos against the media company on his YouTube channel and that such videos had been shared and viewed over 6,34,000 times. The videos, therefore, had caused much harm to the company's reputation, he argued.
Justice Sathish Kumar agreed with these submissions, passed the interim order, and adjourned the hearing to April 12.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 20, 2024 09:43 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).