Jiostar responds to Phantom Studios’ Rs 250 crore lawsuit queen 2Denying allegations that the upcoming Kangana Ranaut-starrer infringes the intellectual property rights of the 2014 hit Queen. The production house said the film is an original project and has no creative connection with the National Award-winning drama.
JioStar breaks silence on Queen 2 lawsuit, says Kangana Ranaut’s film is ‘an original, independent story’
The statement comes days after Phantom Studios approached the Bombay High Court alleging that JioStar had used Queen Intellectual property without authorization. The studio claimed ownership of 50 percent of the intellectual property rights to the original film and argued that it had not given permission for any sequels or derivative works.
JioStar says Queen 2 is an original film
In a statement published by Mid-Day, JioStar rejected the allegations and clarified that its collaboration with Kangana Ranaut is unrelated to the original Queen. The company said, “StarStudio18 is currently working on a new production with Ms. Kangana Ranaut which is an original, independent story. It has no narrative, character or creative connection to any prior work, and is neither a sequel nor a prequel to any existing title.”
The production house also rejected claims that the use of the word “Queen” in the title is copyright infringement.
Production house says ‘queen’ is a common noun
Addressing Phantom Studios’ objections, JioStar argued that the title cannot be owned exclusively. “The word ‘Queen’ is part of the English language. Neither party can claim exclusive ownership over a common noun and any such claim has no basis in law. JioStar is aware of the litigation and will defend its position through the appropriate legal process. We are confident in the merits of our case,” the statement said.
The company indicated that it intended to fight the case in court.
Released in 2014, Queen It earned widespread critical acclaim and won two National Film Awards, including Best Actress for Kangana Ranaut. The film was jointly produced by Viacom18 Motion Pictures and Phantom Films, founded by Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, Madhu Mantena and Vikas Bahl. Although Phantom Films was dissolved in 2018, it was revived as Phantom Studios in 2021.
interesting thing queen 2 Kangana Ranaut reunites with director Vikas Bahl, who also directed the original film. The project reportedly began earlier this year and has now entered the post-production phase.
