Dorje Teas co-founder said Shark Tank India's action goes against the "ethos of promoting small startups"
The makers of Shark Tank India have sent a legal notice to Dorje Teas, a subscription-based tea firm, for copyright violations. Sparsh Agarwal, co-founder of Dorje Teas, said that the company has been served legal notice for using clips of their pitch on the show.
In a LinkedIn post, Mr Agarwal said that they received a notification about copyright infringement for utilising these clips in YouTube and Meta ads. "They've cracked down on every startup that appeared on Shark Tank," he said.
He said he understood that the copyright regulations supported it but had no idea "why they would do this."
Mr Agarwal emphasised that businesses such as Beyond Snack, Wakao Foods, Nasher Miles, Dorje Teas, Hoovu Fresh, Assembly, Skippi, Perfora, and many more spend thousands of dollars every month promoting Shark Tank content, which benefits Shark Tank India by providing free visibility and brand recall.
He went on to say that it "goes against the entire ethos of promoting small startups," branding it as a poor business choice made by some executive or legal person within Sony.
Additionally, the focus of Shark Tank Season 3 has been on creating a new India and assisting the startup environment in India, he said. "Magar iss tarah kaise banega naya India (How will we build a ‘new India' this way?)," he asked in a selfie video.
The users in the comments section offered diverse perspectives.
According to a user, Sony Pictures Networks India is just like any other company house when it comes to money and inventory, or in this instance, "content." The user acknowledged that individuals put their heart and soul into making their pitch (content), only to find that they cannot even utilise it in their style.
"Their entire empire thrives on the magic of storytelling, and your videos just happen to be their latest treasure trove."
It's important to realise, "You are the content", in this situation, read another comment. The individual proceeded to clarify that Aggarwal uploaded videos featuring him to his own social media accounts, but not to Sony's accounts.
"You are monetising your social channels with the content they produce," said the user.
The first person to release a sneak peek in the content industry attracts greater attention. Furthermore, the user said, Mr Aggarwal may have agreed to a waiver form granting them perpetual rights to the video that was shot by Sony for Shark Tank.
Mr Agarwal was asked by the user to look through his contract or see whether he signed any digital forms that said such while at the filming locations.
Dorje Teas is a subscription-based tea firm that ships organic, fresh-from-the-farm Darjeeling Tea to consumers all over the country.