‘Jana Nayagan’ leak tests new legal penalties, torrent downloads under scanner

Ever since Vijay-starrer Jana Nayagan leaked online in high definition, in a bruising setback for the film’s producers, its “anti-piracy partner,” Erode-based firm WarX, has been working with the filmmakers to both trace the original culprit, and has been preserving publicly available peer-to-peer torrent traffic logs for the film, the firm’s CEO Raamesh S. told The Hindu in a brief telephonic interaction.

The leak is particularly concerning for Bengaluru-based KVN Productions, which has been prevented from releasing the film so far, and has spent hundreds of crores in producing and marketing the film. It could also prove particularly costly for the individuals who were behind the leak, as 2023 amendments to the Cinematograph Act, 1952 provide for imprisonment up to three years, and damages up to 5% of a film’s gross audited production cost.