Start-ups agitated as 'Shark Tank India' issues copyright infringement notices
The business reality TV show Shark Tank India has issued legal notices to several start-ups, including Dorje Teas, for alleged copyright infringements. The tea start-up—known for delivering organic Darjeeling Tea—was served notice for using clips from their pitch on YouTube and Meta ads. This information was shared by Sparsh Agarwal, the co-founder of Dorje Teas who secured investments from Sharks Anupam Mittal, Peyush Bansal, and Vineeta Singh on the show last year.
Dorje Teas isn't the only start-up 'targeted' by 'Shark Tank'
Dorje Teas—a company that secured investments totaling ₹30 lakh for 15% equity—shared their ordeal on LinkedIn. Agarwal revealed that their start-up wasn't the only one to receive a notice from the reality show. "We're not the only ones—they've cracked down on each and every start-up that appeared on Shark Tank." Expressing his thoughts on the situation, Agarwal added, "While I understand the copyright laws supporting it, I don't understand why they would do this."
'Spending lakhs every month to boost 'Shark Tank' content'
Agarwal expressed his surprise at Sony TV's actions to send the start-ups notices. In his long post, he mentioned, "After all at Dorje Teas, and other companies like Skippi, Assembly, Perfora, Hoovu Fresh, Beyond Snack, Wakao Foods, Nasher Miles and so many others, are spending lakhs every month to boost Shark Tank content, thereby giving free publicity and brand recall to the Shark Tank India brand."
'How will we build a 'new India' this way?'
Further, Agarwal criticized the decision, labeling it a "poor business move by Sony." He emphasized that such actions contradict the ethos of promoting small start-ups. Agarwal raised concerns about the impact on India's start-up ecosystem, particularly considering the focus of Shark Tank Season 3 on supporting and fostering entrepreneurship in the country. In a selfie video, he questioned, "How will we build a 'new India' this way?"
This is how netizens reacted to Agrawal's post
While Agarwal found support on social media, some argued that Sony's actions were technically justified. A content strategist elaborated, "Dear Sparsh, it's crucial to understand that in this context, 'You are the content.' Your role in content creation is significant. You shared the content that features you on your social media (YT/FB/Insta and likewise) but not on Sony's social handles. In a way, the traffic they should have received would have been diverted to you."
