On Wednesday, it was revealed that a Delhi-based app developer bought the domain name JioHotstar, hoping to profit from the planned merger of JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar. The developer, who remains anonymous, left a message for Reliance Industries, Jio's parent company, saying they were willing to sell the domain. Now, Reliance has threatened the developer with legal action.
The JioHotstar domain had a simple landing page with a message explaining that the developer purchased it last year when they first heard about the merger. The developer stated, "When I saw this domain become available, I thought everything might fall into place. My goal in buying this domain was simple: if the merger happens, I could fulfill my dream of studying at Cambridge."
On Thursday, the website was updated to say that after a senior official from Reliance contacted them, the developer asked for £93,345 (approximately ₹1.01 crore), which is the tuition fee for the course they want to take at Cambridge University. The update stated, "As of October 24th, an Executive from Reliance reached out—Ambujesh Yadav Ji, AVP, Commercials. A request was made for £93,345, which represents the tuition fees for the EMBA program."
Reliance threatens
The developer claims that Reliance has not only denied their request but has also threatened to take legal action. They said, "The request has been denied. Reliance will proceed with legal action. I hope they will reconsider this kind request. I wish such a large group could help. Thank you to everyone who shared their support. I don't have the power to stand against Reliance."
The developer is asking for help from legal professionals, insisting that they haven't violated any trademarks or copyrights. They explained, "I don't think I infringed any trademark when I bought this domain in 2023 because JioHotstar didn't even exist at that time. Nobody had a trademark for JioHotstar when I purchased it. I might lose access to this domain in a few hours. If any legal expert can help, I would be very grateful."
HT reached out to JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar for comments on the situation but had not received any responses by the time this story was published. The story will be updated if either party provides a response.
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