Eega makers issue copyright infringement notice to Lovely team

The makers of SS Rajamouli's 2012 film Eega have sent a notice to the team behind the Malayalam film Lovely, which released this May, alleging 'unauthorised use of copyrighted character.

' Lovely, directed by Dileesh Nair and featuring Mathew Thomas, features a housefly, the design of which the Telugu filmmakers claim has been stolen from their film. Lovely features a housefly by the same name who befriends a youngster who has been wrongfully imprisoned.

What the notice says?

In the legal notice, Eega makers allege that the housefly design is their sole property and, "Our client (the production house) holds exclusive rights to all visual, artistic, and narrative elements of the film (Eega), including the said character.

Any reproduction or imitation of this character, without our client's explicit consent, constitutes copyright infringement under said law." They claim, "The central character, a reincarnated housefly, was conceived and developed through advanced VFX methodologies including macro photography, anatomical modelling and behavioural studies of real flies. These visual effects were led by professionals including RC Kamalakannan and Pete Draper of Makuta VFX, establishing the housefly as a unique and recognisable creation owned solely by our client (the production house).

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How can one say that we can't use anything in housefly category as a character? Dileesh Nair

Speaking to us, Dileesh Nair said, "How can one say that we can't use anything in the housefly category as a character? We have all the properties related to the development of this character, including the mesh. Also, Eega was released in 2012. Why would we take an outdated model? There is a big difference in quality (of the visuals of the housefly). We will respond to the notice suitably. Stating that the character announcement for the housefly was made two years back, the director adds, "They are demanding royalty from our film's revenue, but it didn't do that well theatrically. Filing a suit this close to OTT release of the film seems like a planned move to us."