BENGALURU: Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd (BCCL), which owns The Times of India, The Economic Times and other publications, has got an interim injunction against a Bengaluru-based property developer for popping in inserts and flyers in its publications without permission.
These inserts and flyers, often found in the morning with newspapers, are not only an irritant to readers but also illegal as they constitute an unfair trade practice that is prohibited by the laws of the country, according to legal experts. It is learnt that individuals and companies who use these illegal inserts go to newspaper vendors/beat boys and pay them directly to place them inside the copies. Some do it out of ignorance, not realising they are invading the private space of the newspaper and, most critically, inconveniencing readers as sheaves of flyers drop out as they pick up their copy.
The brands that use this channel do not realise that this practice adversely affects their image and service. Readers perceive those who use flyers as fake or fly-by-night operators promoting their products rather than going through the official advertisement route, which is subject to a lot of scrutiny under various laws.
Customers don't expect good brands to cut corners. When brands advertise in a newspaper, the readers believe that advertisers have to make truthful, legally valid claims. So, especially in areas like real estate/property, on which people spend a high proportion of their savings, it will be a dangerous proposition for customers to rely on flyers, where such process of verification/authentication does not exist.
BCCL filed the injunction suit against the developer, the sole defendant, seeking to restrain the "defendants, its partners, their assigns, employees, servants, dealers, agents and all other persons acting on its behalf from popping in and/or causing to pop in the inserts through individual vendors or in any other manner". The additional city civil & sessions court judge, after hearing advocate Krishna Kumar SR and his associates Sandeep SS and T Shreeram, who argued on behalf of BCCL, observed that if such an order was not granted, the publication stood the chance of suffering irreparable loss and injury.
The judge observed: "On perusal of the entire material placed on record at this stage, I am of the opinion that the plaintiff has made out a prima facie case. If an ad interim injunction is not granted, it will lead to multiplicity of the proceedings. Besides, the plaintiff may also suffer irreparable loss and injury."
BCCL is also contemplating proceeding against other similarly placed entities who, despite being cautioned, are continuing with the illegal activity of popping in inserts in its publications.
BCCL gets interim relief against newspaper flyers - Times of India
My thoughts: These guys should know how many adverts are there in their own newspaper. They want to get money of adverts from everywhere that too. First they started using offensive anti-adblocking techniquies now this.
These inserts and flyers, often found in the morning with newspapers, are not only an irritant to readers but also illegal as they constitute an unfair trade practice that is prohibited by the laws of the country, according to legal experts. It is learnt that individuals and companies who use these illegal inserts go to newspaper vendors/beat boys and pay them directly to place them inside the copies. Some do it out of ignorance, not realising they are invading the private space of the newspaper and, most critically, inconveniencing readers as sheaves of flyers drop out as they pick up their copy.
The brands that use this channel do not realise that this practice adversely affects their image and service. Readers perceive those who use flyers as fake or fly-by-night operators promoting their products rather than going through the official advertisement route, which is subject to a lot of scrutiny under various laws.
Customers don't expect good brands to cut corners. When brands advertise in a newspaper, the readers believe that advertisers have to make truthful, legally valid claims. So, especially in areas like real estate/property, on which people spend a high proportion of their savings, it will be a dangerous proposition for customers to rely on flyers, where such process of verification/authentication does not exist.
BCCL filed the injunction suit against the developer, the sole defendant, seeking to restrain the "defendants, its partners, their assigns, employees, servants, dealers, agents and all other persons acting on its behalf from popping in and/or causing to pop in the inserts through individual vendors or in any other manner". The additional city civil & sessions court judge, after hearing advocate Krishna Kumar SR and his associates Sandeep SS and T Shreeram, who argued on behalf of BCCL, observed that if such an order was not granted, the publication stood the chance of suffering irreparable loss and injury.
The judge observed: "On perusal of the entire material placed on record at this stage, I am of the opinion that the plaintiff has made out a prima facie case. If an ad interim injunction is not granted, it will lead to multiplicity of the proceedings. Besides, the plaintiff may also suffer irreparable loss and injury."
BCCL is also contemplating proceeding against other similarly placed entities who, despite being cautioned, are continuing with the illegal activity of popping in inserts in its publications.
BCCL gets interim relief against newspaper flyers - Times of India
My thoughts: These guys should know how many adverts are there in their own newspaper. They want to get money of adverts from everywhere that too. First they started using offensive anti-adblocking techniquies now this.
) even TOI