Ernakulam court issues temporary injunction against ‘Minnal Murali’ spin-offs and merchandising

The Ernakulam District Court recently issued a temporary injunction prohibiting the production of films, graphic novels, merchandise, or spin-off projects featuring characters from the Malayalam superhero film 'Minnal Murali'. The order was in response to a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by the film’s scriptwriters, Arun AR and Justin Mathew.

The court’s order restrains the defendants, including Weekend Blockbusters Pvt. Ltd., Netflix India, Amar Chithra Katha, Spirit Media, and producer Sophia Paul, from infringing on the plaintiffs' copyrights. This includes any form of production, distribution, or commercialization involving characters from Minnal Murali, such as Brucelee Biji, Josemon, PC Siby Pothan, SI Sajan, PC Shinoj, and Shibu. The injunction is in effect until further notice.

Arun AR and Justin Mathew, who conceptualized the characters and storyline of Minnal Murali, claimed in their suit that the film’s story revolves around Jaison, a young tailor who acquires superpowers after being struck by lightning and becomes the titular superhero. The suit notes that they began developing the script based on a suggestion from Sophia Paul, who had shown interest in the characters but had not yet committed to producing the film at that time.