Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Hari Puttar gives Warner Bros the finger and can now be released...


A court in India has dismissed a lawsuit by Hollywood studio Warner Brothers against the makers of Bollywood film "Hari Puttar".

Warner Bros, which owns the rights to the Harry Potter franchise, had argued the Indian film sounded too similar to the name of JK Rowling's wizard hero.

But lawyers for both sides have said the case has now been dismissed.

The New Delhi court said Warner Bros could have brought the case three years ago and said readers could easily distinguish Hari Puttar from Harry Potter.

The decision means the film can now be released in India.

Warner Bros said in a statement on Monday it was assessing the ruling adding it believes the film's title "unfairly sought to confuse consumers and benefit from the well-known and well-loved Harry Potter brand."

"Hari Puttar - A Comedy of Terrors" was due to open earlier this month, but producers delayed its release after some television networks refused to air trailers due to the legal dispute.

The film follows the adventures of a 10-year-old Indian boy whose family moves to England. It is scheduled to premiere in Mumbai on Wednesday and will be on general release from Friday.

The makers of the film stressed the film "bears no resemblance to the Hollywood film Harry Potter and it is a completely different story."

Producers argued Hari was a common Indian name while Puttar is Hindi for son.

Harry Potter films have grossed more than $4.47 billion (£2.42 billion) since 2001, making it one of the most lucrative franchises of all time.

Its next instalment "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" is due for worldwide release next summer.

Source

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