Zee Entertainment has initiated legal proceedings in New Delhi against the joint venture formed by Reliance and Disney, accusing the combined company of using copyrighted music from Zee’s music division after licensing agreements ended.
The complaint, filed on April 14 and reported to run to around 1,800 pages, seeks $3 million in damages. According to the court filing, the Reliance-Disney streaming service and certain TV channels continued to deploy works owned by Zee’s music arm at least 50 times after the relevant licenses lapsed in 2024 and 2025.
Zee says those licenses were not renewed because the parties could not agree on commercial terms. The company describes the continued use of its music as constituting copyright infringement and has asked the New Delhi court to order an end to any ongoing unauthorized use of its musical works.
This lawsuit adds to an existing slate of legal disputes between Zee and the Reliance-Disney entity. The two are currently engaged in arbitration proceedings in London, where Reliance is seeking $1 billion in damages resulting from Zee’s withdrawal from a cricket licensing arrangement in 2024. Zee has denied any wrongdoing in that matter and is contesting Reliance’s claim in arbitration.
The New Delhi filing focuses narrowly on the timeline of license expirations and the alleged use of copyrighted material after those expirations. Zee’s papers state the alleged uses occurred after the parties failed to reach agreement on commercial renewal terms in the relevant years.
The company’s request to the court includes monetary damages and injunctive relief to stop what Zee contends are ongoing infringements of its music catalogue. The suit represents the latest chapter in a broader legal friction between the companies that also involves high-value arbitration abroad.
At this stage the case in New Delhi is a claim pending before the court. The filing details Zee’s allegations about post-expiration use and seeks remedial action from the judiciary. Separately, the London arbitration continues to progress as Reliance pursues its larger damages claim while Zee disputes liability.
Summary of the filing
Zee alleges at least 50 instances of use of its music after licenses expired in 2024 and 2025, did not renew agreements due to disagreement over commercial terms, seeks $3 million in damages, and asks the court to halt further use.