Indian Court Finds Against Bradford

Barbara Taylor Bradford, who two months ago won a preliminary injunction in an Indian court (News, May 26), had a legal setback last Monday when an appeals court found that there was not sufficient evidence that a production company had violated her copyright for a Woman of Substance in shooting its maxiseries. The court ruled that Bradford must pay a little more than £2000 ($3,200) for every week the series is delayed, but the injunction remains as long as the appeals process continues. Bradford immediately appealed to the Supreme Court. The Court was set to hear the case last Friday, but was forced to postpone the hearing to August 4 because the appeals court had not turned in the ruling.

The case alleged that the Indian production company, Sahara TV, illegally copied from Substance, Bradford's bestselling novel.

Lonnie Ostrow, a spokesperson for the author, said that one shouldn't read too much into the appeals court ruling, because it didn't allow a videotaped confession from the show's producer. "How can a court make a decision without reviewing the evidence?" he asked. He expressed confidence that the Supreme Court will rule in Bradford's favor, allowing for a possible negotiation of a rights sale. If it doesn't, he said Bradford would probably give up. "We don't want to get into a battle that goes on for years and years in an Indian court," he said.