On Wednesday, it emerged a Delhi-based app developer had purchased the domain name JioHotstar in anticipation of JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar’s proposed merger. The techie, who remained unknown, left a message for Jio’s parent company, Reliance Industries, saying they were willing to sell the domain to them. Now, it seems that Reliance has threatened the person with legal action. (Also read: Delhi techie snags ‘JioHotstar’ domain pre-merger, demands Cambridge education funding for sale to Reliance)
The ₹1 crore price tag
The domain name JioHotstar had a simple landing page with a message from the said developer that they purchased the domain last year when they first heard about the merger. “When I saw this domain become available, I felt things might just fall into place. My intention of buying this domain was simple: if this merger happens, I might be able to fulfill my dream of studying at Cambridge,” the message read.
On Thursday, an update was posted to the website, stating that after a senior official from Reliance reached out, the developer demanded £93,345 ( ₹1.01 crore), which is the fee for the course the developer wants to pursue at Cambridge University. “Update 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,” read the update.
Reliance threatens to sue
However, as per the developer, Reliance has not just denied the request but also threatened legal action. “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 all who shared and sent kind words. I don’t have the power to stand against Reliance,” the developer further added.
Asking for help from the legal fraternity, the developer maintained that they had not violated any trademark or copyrights. “I don’t feel I infringed any trademark when I bought this in 2023, since JioHotstar was not even in existence at that time. No body had trademark for JioHotstar when I bought it. I might automatically lose access of this domain in few hours. If any legal professional could help, I would be grateful,” they added.
HT reached out to both JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar for comment on the matter, but had not received any responses till the time of this story being published. The story will be updated based on any responses received from either party.