Archive · 10 Dec 2025
Photographer sues Zee for Rs 18-crore over 12-second cheetah video
A photographer named Ronny Sen is suing a big TV company called Zee Media.
He says they used a 12-second video he took of a cheetah without asking him.
The video was part of a project where cheetahs were brought back to India.
Sen wants Rs 18.11 crore because he thinks Zee Media should have paid him for using his video.
He also says they wrongly said the video was theirs.
This is important because it might help other artists protect their work in the future.
Photographer Ronny Sen sued Zee Media for using his 12-second cheetah video without permission.
Sen claims Zee Media misrepresented the video as 'super exclusive' and did not credit or compensate him.
The suit seeks Rs 18.11 crore in damages, including loss of licensing revenue and punitive damages.
The case is based on the Copyright Act, 1957, and focuses on both economic and moral rights.
The Commercial Court at Rajarhat admitted the suit and listed the matter for January 16.
- Who
- Photographer Ronny Sen
- What
- Filed a copyright infringement suit against Zee Media Corporation Ltd for using his 12-second cheetah video without permission
- When
- The suit was filed in November 2023, with the next hearing scheduled for January 16, 2024
- Where
- Commercial Court at Rajarhat, West Bengal, India
- Why
- Sen alleges Zee Media used his video without license, credit, or compensation, and misrepresented it as 'super exclusive'
- Photographer
- Ronny Sen
- Defendant
- Zee Media Corporation Ltd
- Video Duration
- 12 seconds
- Claim Amount
- Rs 18.11 crore
- Court
- Commercial Court, Rajarhat, West Bengal
- Next Hearing
- January 16
- Project
- Cheetah translocation from Namibia and South Africa to India
- Copyright Act
- 1957
