Comedian Manan Desai, co-founder of The Comedy Factory, has obtained a recording copyright for his famous Gujarati catchphrase jati rehje, meaning “leave at once”. This ruling by Delhi’s copyright registry in favour of Desai prohibits people from saying the phrase in the comedian’s unique tone and style. “Anyone wishing to use it must obtain permission or a license,” intellectual property rights expert Yash Suryawala told The Times of India. He assisted Desai in obtaining the copyright.

“I’ve used jati rehje for years without giving it much thought,” Desai told Times of India. “But over time, the phrase gained massive popularity. Audiences began cheering for it so I started incorporating it more frequently.”

Desai, who also has a standup special titled Jati Rehje, decided to copyright his tone of delivering the phrase when he saw others mimicking his style. “I wanted to ensure that the phrase, which also happens to be the name of one of my standup acts, isn’t misused commercially,” added Desai. “I have big plans for jati rehje—including songs—so protecting it was necessary.”

This judgement comes at a crucial time with artificial intelligence being used in creative fields.

In a similar judgement last year, the Delhi High Court had safeguarded actor Jackie Shroff’s likeness, prohibiting people from using his name (including his nickname Bhidu), image or voice without his consent.

Desai and his wife and business partner Vidya Desai had won another lawsuit in 2021 when they objected to Zee Entertainment Ltd’s use of ‘Comedy Factory’—the couple’s comedy and entertainment firm’s name—as the name of a show starring Farah Khan.

Read this article on standup comedy’s copyright conundrum.