Indian Lawyer Wins Case Over Excessive Cinema Advertisements

A Bangalore court ruled that a movie theater chain wasted a customer's time with 25 minutes of ads before a film, awarding him damages and penalizing the company.

• Abhishek M R, a 31-year-old lawyer, sued PVR INOX after excessive pre-film ads caused him to miss a scheduled work call in December 2023.
• The court found the 25-30 minutes of advertisements, including 17 commercials, to be an unfair trade practice and a waste of customers' time.
• PVR INOX was ordered to pay Abhishek 20,000 rupees ($363) in damages, 8,000 rupees ($145) in legal costs, and 100,000 rupees ($1,815) to the Consumer Welfare Fund.
• The theater chain defended itself by citing legal requirements for public service announcements but was found to have prioritized commercial ads over customer experience.
• The ruling emphasized the value of time in modern society and has sparked broader discussions about customer rights and business practices in India.

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