ZEE issues STAR One with legal notice

ZEE Network has issued the Indian channel STAR One a legal notice over its new show called ‘Betiyaan’.

According to a letter by ZEE Network’s Sanjay Jain to STAR One, the channel has threatened the STAR Network channel with legal action after ZEE discovered that STAR One was planning a drama serial titled ‘Betiyaan’ with the storyline resembling strikingly to that to ZEE TV’s own forthcoming show called ‘Ghar Ki Lakshmi…Betiyaan’.

Extracts from the letter are as follows:

“It has come to our attention through media sources that you [STAR One] have produced and/or intend to produce or broadcast a television programme/serial under the title ‘Betiyaan’. You propose to launch the same in the month of October, 2006 on your channel, STAR One. We are of the view that the programme includes elements that are strikingly similar to our programme ‘Ghar Ki Lakshmi..Betiyaan’ launched and proposed to be carried in our channel, ZEE TV.”

“We would like to draw your attention to the fact that the television programme ‘Ghar Ki Lakshmi…Betiyaan’ is owned by ZEE Telefilms Limited. We have already started our promos on 5th August, 2006 and have incurred and/or committed substantial sums on business promotion/advertising and publicity, etc for the said programme.”

STAR One was unable to comment at the time of filing this article. ZEE TV will be premiering ‘Ghar Ki Lakshmi..Betiyaan’ from mid-October. There is no word from STAR One if it will be delaying the launch of its show. STAR One’s ‘Betiyaan’ is written by Rekkha Modi, who further claims that the initial concept of the soap was narrated to Dheeraj Kumar (Producer of ZEE TV’s Ghar Ki Lakshmi..Betiyaan). She has cried foul at Kumar and has spoken to the media about her idea being plagiarised.

Keep it with BizAsia.co.uk for developments.