Court orders a four-week restraint on the use of copyrighted content by automated tools and AI in landmark decision
In a significant legal development, the Madras High Court has granted an interim injunction in favor of Keshan Infotech Pvt. Ltd., a travel vlogging entity, against Oliver Brandt and other respondents. The court, presided by Justice K. Kumaresh Babu, issued the order on July 1, 2026, following the plea from the applicant for protection of their copyrighted content from unauthorized use and reproduction, particularly through automated tools and artificial intelligence.
The interim injunction restrains the respondents from infringing on Keshan Infotech’s copyrighted materials published on platforms such as Travel and Tour World, or any other platform operated by the applicant. The injunction specifically prohibits the reproduction, copying, translating, adapting, summarising, paraphrasing, or any other form of derivation of the applicant's content, whether authored by humans or through AI-assisted processes, pending the final disposal of the suit.
The court's order further extends to the prohibition of using the applicant’s content as input for any artificial intelligence model, large language model, automated content generation tool, web scraper, or any other software application. This is a noteworthy move in light of the growing use of AI technologies in content creation and dissemination.
The case was brought to the court's attention after Keshan Infotech alleged that their copyrighted content had been used unauthorizedly by the first respondent on social media, with the applicant’s logo prominently displayed. The respondents allegedly masked the original identity of the content creator, thereby violating the applicant's copyright.
The court, upon reviewing the submissions and evidence presented by Mr. Rudraman Bhattacharya, Senior Advocate for the applicant, found a prima facie case of copyright infringement. Consequently, the court granted the interim injunction for a period of four weeks to prevent further infringement, pending the resolution of the suit.
The respondents have been served notice and are required to respond within four weeks. The matter is scheduled for a further hearing after this period.
This judgment underscores the judicial recognition of intellectual property rights in the digital age, particularly concerning the use of advanced technologies like AI in content creation. It sets a precedent for similar cases where automated tools and AI are employed to reproduce copyrighted content without authorization.
Bottom line:-
Copyright infringement - Interim injunction granted to restrain the use of applicant's copyrighted content, including through automated tools or artificial intelligence, pending disposal of the suit.
Statutory provision(s): Copyright Act, 1957 Sections 13, 55
Keshan Infotech Pvt. Ltd. v. Oliver Brandt, (Madras) : Law Finder Doc id # 2935821
