Mobile firm accused of plagiarism

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, January 1

Ankur Patar, a renowned artist based in Australia, has sent a legal notice to leading mobile phone company Micromax for using his digital painting without his consent and knowledge.

Ankur is Padmashree awardee and renowned Punjabi poet Surjit Patar’s son. The company allegedly used his painting in one of its print advertisements in a bilingual daily in April 2015.

Earlier, Harp Farmer, a model depicted in the same digital painting had also written to the company and expressed concern over plagiarism. The company reportedly removed the advertisement from its site after objection.

In a press conference organised by Ankur Patar and his lawyer Harpreet Sandhu today, Ankur said the company used his digital painting without his consent. “Infact Micromax has violated the law punishable under the Information and Technology Act, 2000, and under Section 378-379 of the Indian Penal Code, by using the said painting in print advertisements in an illegal manner,” Ankur said.

Ankur through his counsel Harpreet Sandhu has sent a legal notice to the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, Founder and Co-Founder of Micromax Informatics Limited, Gurgaon, to claim damages worth Rs 1 crore and also an unconditional apology in nature of writing, within seven days.

Ankur Patar is a well-known digital artist in Australia and his work gets appreciation all over. This painting is about the traditional music of Punjab in which a Punjabi artist is plying a traditional musical instrument — Rubab. Gurmukhi alphabets are seen around the instrumentalist. Ankur hired Harp Farmer as a model for this painting. The company has reportedly used the painting to advertise local language support system of phones.