In the realm of entrepreneurial dreams, the spotlight of Shark Tank India has illuminated numerous success narratives. Yet, amidst the glow of victory, a shadow of adversity looms for some. This sobering reality recently dawned upon the enterprising minds behind a startup endorsed by Vineeta Singh, Anupam Mittal, and Peyush Bansal during Shark Tank India 2.
The venture, a purveyor of farm-fresh organic Darjeeling Tea, found itself entangled in legal intricacies with Sony Pictures Networks India.
Sparsh Agarwal, co-founder of the brand, Dorji, took to LinkedIn to unveil the disconcerting development. Just three days prior, their inbox bore the weight of a legal missive from Sony Pictures Networks India. The crux of the notice? Alleged copyright infringement stemming from the use of clips extracted from their own Shark Tank pitch in YouTube videos.
In a candid post, Agarwal lamented, “Day 10 of our Fundraise Challenge: Shark Tank India has sent us a legal notice!” Expressing bewilderment, he elucidated on the broader implications, revealing that they were not alone in receiving such notices. Other participants of Shark Tank India found themselves similarly embroiled.
Detailing the ordeal, Agarwal underscored the irony of the situation. Startups, he argued, invest substantial resources in amplifying Shark Tank content across diverse platforms, inadvertently providing the show with invaluable publicity and bolstering its brand cachet. The sudden legal onslaught seemed incongruous with the ethos of nurturing fledgling businesses.
He decried the actions as a misguided business decision, attributing it to the insular perspective of certain executives or legal representatives within Sony. To substantiate his claims, Agarwal appended a screenshot of the email correspondence from the network.
For those unacquainted with the backstory, Dorje Teas had graced the stage of Shark Tank India 2, clinching a deal worth Rs 35 Lakhs for a 15% equity stake from the triumvirate of Sharks: Anupam Mittal, Vineeta Singh, and Peyush Bansal.
In a bid to catalyze dialogue, Agarwal tagged several Sharks from the season, including Anupam Mittal, Vineeta Singh, Namita Thapar, Aman Gupta, Ashneer Grover, Peyush Bansal, Ritesh Agarwal, Deepinder Goyal, and Radhika Gupta. As of now, the Sharks have maintained a stoic silence in response to the post.