WinZO, through TickTok Skill Games Private Limited, has filed a suit against Mobile Premier League (MPL) alleging copyright infringement over its popular team gaming format— World War, according to a statement from WinZO. Why it matters: WinZO and MPL are two of the biggest gaming companies in India and an allegation of copyright infringement by one of them highlights the lacunae in India’s copyright protections. It also suggests that the government needs to consider some tweaks to the copyright laws in place. What was the allegation: WinZO argued that it found MPL using an identical format with an identical name on its platform in the last week of March, 2022. They informed MPL and urged them to take down the format from their platform. MPL complied with the request swiftly. WinZO alleged that MPL started using the format again by April, 2022. They renamed the format to ‘Team Clash’ but user notifications still carried the name— ‘World War’. What was WinZO’s course of action: The company in a statement shared with MediaNama revealed that it sent a cease and desist letter to MPL. WinZO was then forced to file for injunction in the Delhi High Court to restrain MPL as the latter did not respond to the former's legal notice. What happened during the hearing: The hearing took place on June 3, 2022 before Justice Naveen Chawla. MPL informed the Court that it would explore the possibility of an amicable settlement of the dispute with WinZO, according to a copy…
