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Indian Express
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
All about Champak, a popular children's magazine that has taken BCCI and IPL to court
From inspiring astronaut Kalpana Chawla to carry a T-shirt featuring one of its iconic characters to space to the inspiration behind cricketer Virat Kohli's nickname, Cheeku, being based on a recurring rabbit character — for over 50 years, Champak has been one of India's most popular homegrown children's magazine with a sizeable readership. Having started out in Hindi, the fortnightly magazine is now published in a total of eight languages. Delhi Press, which publishes the children's magazine and has held trademark of 'Champak' since 1968, had filed a trademark infringement suit against the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) and Indian Premier League (IPL) in the Delhi High Court. On Wednesday, the court refused to grant an interim injunction to the BCCI and IPL in connection with the case. Delhi Press has taken objection to the use of 'Champak' as the name of a robotic dog, mounted with cameras, which was launched by IPL this season as an entertainment feature. In popular culture First published in 1968 by Vishwa Nath, the founder of Delhi Press, who began his publishing journey in 1939, Champak is one of the country's most popular children's magazines with a readership of over 52 lakh, according to its publisher, the Delhi Press Patra Prakashan Ltd. It's biggest competitor was Chandamama, a monthly magazine popular for its illustrations, and mythological stories. According to Champak's publisher, it is the largest-read children's magazine in the country at present. Champak has also published over 40 books based on its animal stories, many of which are in their 10th or 12th reprint editions. Over the years, Champak was launched in various languages — Marathi (1971), Gujarati (1972), English (1975), Kannada (1992), and Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam (2004). For nearly 60 years, Champak, aimed at children aged 6-12 years, delighted its readers with its bouquet of short stories, comic strips, puzzles, brain teasers, jokes, do-it-yourself (DIY) activities and science facts. With a colourful cast of anthropomorphic characters — Cheeku, the rabbit; Meeku, the mouse; Baddy, the fox; Jumbo, the elephant; Blacky, the bear; Damru, the donkey; Teetri, the buttefly; Jumpy, the monkey; King Shersingh, the lion; Harry and Tarry, the frogs and Vivi, the wolf, among others — Champak's stories, which contain a blend of humour, wit and life lessons, are set in the Champakvan multiverse. While the magazine has seen an annual subscription price hike in recent years — from Rs 990 in 2022-23 to Rs 1,440 in 2024-25 — its printed copies across all eight languages have seen an increase in sales — from approximately one million copies sold in 2022-23 to 1.8 million in 2024-25. From Kalpana Chawla, Virat Kohli to Maneka Gandhi The magazine prides itself on a touching anecdote. Astronaut Kalpana Chawla, who died in the February 1, 2003, Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, was 'so inspired by the magazine that on her first voyage to space, she requested a memento from the Champak team'. The publisher says, 'She carried a T-shirt featuring Cheeku, the iconic rabbit from the magazine, to space. After her tragic death, her family returned the T-shirt to Champak. Her story — that of a dreamer who once read Champak and reached for the stars — continues to inspire young readers.' During the court proceedings, the judge brought up how the magazine's iconic rabbit was the inspiration behind cricketer Kohli's nickname. Besides Chawla and Kohli, politician and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi has in the past engaged with Champak's readers, answering their questions about how to care for animals. Champak's evolution with the times In keeping up with the times, the magazine has forayed into other mediums, including more product offerings like activity worksheets to support reading, math, language, science and art in children. It has also marked its digital and social media presence, especially on Instagram and YouTube, with bite-sized animations, riddles, fun facts and comic reels, posted to engage both children and nostalgic adults, featuring Cheeku and Meeku. Champak is also set to release a 24- part animation series set in Champakvan, with familiar characters and their storylines. In collaboration with Audible and BigFM, Champak has also entered the arena of immersive audio storytelling, providing professionally narrated stories, complete with sound effects and music.
Indian Express
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Delhi High Court refuses to restrain IPL from using robo dog ‘Champak' in comic book publisher's plea
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to restrain the Indian Premier League (IPL) from using a robotic dog named 'Champak' in a trademark infringement suit filed by the fortnightly magazine Champak against the IPL and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which organises the T20 tournament. Publishing house Delhi Press Patra Prakashan Private Limited has objected to the IPL using its registered trademark 'Champak', which has been in use since 1968. In the IPL, it is being used at match venues as the name of a robotic dog mounted with cameras, which the league has launched as an entertainment feature this season. The robotic dog's name was finalised following a fan poll. Delhi Press, represented by advocates Amit Gupta and Mansi Kukreja, argued that the use of its trademark 'Champak', 'in connection with an unrelated robotic dog', dilutes its 'distinctive character'. It also said 'Champak' is widely recognised in the field of 'children's literature and publishing across generations'. The publisher also argued that such infringement amounts to dilution of the trademark as it is being used in a commercial setting and without authorisation. Delhi Press, in its suit, to prove its long-standing reputation, also cited the example of cricketer Virat Kohli saying that he has been nicknamed 'Cheeku' from a character in the Champak magazine. Justice Amit Bansal, however, while refusing to grant any ex-parte (without hearing the other side) interim injunction, issued notice on an application in the suit where the comicbook's publisher is seeking interim injunction and Rs 2 crore in damages. Justice Bansal asked the publisher, 'Where is the commercial element? They are using for whatever reason, it is very early for me to decide…… please appreciate. The Instagram page emphatically shows that the name is not of their choice. It is a majority win. This is not their choice. What is the element for ad-interim ex parte injunction? There is no adoption per se by the entity naming,' Justice Banerjee said orally, addressing the publisher's counsel. The 18th season of the IPL began on March 22 and will go on till May 25.
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First Post
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- First Post
IPL 2025: BCCI slapped with legal notice over naming AI robot dog 'Champak'
'Champak' the AI robot dog was introduced in the ongoing IPL season and went viral after making its debut during the Delhi Capitals-Mumbai Indians game on 13 April. Delhi Press, owner of a popular children's magazine that went by the same name, has since accused the BCCI of copyright infringement. read more Rajasthan Royals Kumar Kartikeya plays with the robot dog named Champak ahead of his team's home game against Gujarat Titans at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. AP The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has received a notice from the Delhi High Court for naming the AI robot dog that is part of its coverage of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season 'Champak'. The BCCI has been accused of copyright infringement by Delhi Press Patra Prakashan, the publisher of 31 magazines in nine languages including a popular children's magazine by the same name. Advocate Amit Gupta, representing Delhi Press, argued that the BCCI's decision to name their 'AI tool' was a clear infringement of the publisher's registered trademark. ''This AI tool [robotic dog] has been named as Champak. The IPL has been going on. The product was introduced earlier but it was named later on April 23 purportedly based on fan voting,' Gupta submitted in his petition, according to Bar and Bench. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD BCCI's legal counsel clarifies the inspiration behind 'Champak' name for robot dog J Sai Deepak, the advocate representing the Indian cricket board at the Delhi High Court, clarified that the name 'Champak' had nothing to do with the children's magazine. Instead, the robot dog was named after Champaklal Jayantilal Gada, a recurring character in the popular television sitcom Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah portrayed by Amit Bhatt_._ The Court also quizzed Gupta as to why Delhi Press did not object to star batter Virat Kohli being nicknamed 'Cheeku', which is also which is the name of one of the magazine's characters. Gupta, however, replied by saying Kohli having the same nickname as one of their characters did not amount to commercial exploitation, which he claimed was the case when it came to Champak the robot dog. The Delhi HC, however, has refused to prove an interim injunction to Delhi Press in their petition, and has set 9 July as the date for the next hearing. We asked and you answered ✍️ Based on fan votes, we present 'Champak' - the newest member of our family 🗳🥳#TATAIPL — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 20, 2025 The robot dog had been introduced for the first time this IPL season during Delhi Capitals' home game against Mumbai Indians at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium on 13 April and has since become something of a recurring character across matches, appearing at the toss and remaining on the sidelines thereafter. Players have also been spotted getting friendly with the robot dog from time to time, especially during practice sessions. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Champak' was developed by broadcast technology company wTVision in collaboration with Omnicam and the BCCI and is equipped with advanced features. Not only can it perform a variety of movements including standing on its hind legs like dogs, it is also fitted with a high-definition camera that allows it to provide a unique glimpse into the action on the field. The name 'Champak' incidentally, was decided through an online fan poll conducted by the league. The winning name from the poll was announced via social media and through live telecast ahead of MI's home game against Chennai Super Kings on 20 April.
Mint
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
‘Champak' copyright row: BCCI sued by popular kids' magazine over name of IPL's robot pet dog
Delhi Press, the publisher of 31 magazines in nine languages, has sued the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) over the alleged infringement of its registered trademark by calling the robotic dog, introduced as part of the broadcast coverage during the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League, 'Champak.' The matter came for a hearing at the Delhi High Court on Wednesday. Justice Saurabh Banerjee refused to provide an interim injunction to the publisher. The court will take up the matter next on July 9. Advocate Amit Gupta is representing Delhi Press at the Delhi High Court. "This AI tool has been named as Champak. The IPL has been going on. The product was introduced earlier but it was named later on April 23, purportedly based on fan voting," submitted Gupta. The advocate argued that the publisher is a registered owner of the mark and the cricket body is using it without authorisation. Senior advocate J Sai Deepak appeared for the BCCI. The BCCI counsel argued that 'champak' is based on the character of the Television Show 'Tarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashma' and not the magazine. One of the characters in the series is 'Champaklal Jayantilal Gada', played by popular actor Amit Bhatt. The judge questioned the publisher about why they hadn't filed a lawsuit against Virat Kohli for being called "chiku," a reference to another character in Champak magazine. Advocate Amit Gupta argued that the cricketer hasn't launched a product, whereas the BCCI has launched a product, which amounts to commercial exploitation. The robotic dog was introduced to the broadcast during the IPL 2025 match between Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians on April 13. It's a regular feature during the coverage and is seen to have delivered the coin during the time of toss. The IPL fan poll asked the viewers to pick a name for the IPL pet during the 33rd match of IPL 2025 played between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians in Hyderabad. Champak got 76 per cent of the votes, followed by Buddy (10 per cent), Chulbul (7 per cent) and Jaffa (7 per cent). Stay updated on all the action from the IPL 2025. Check the IPL 2025 Schedule, track the latest IPL 2025 Points Table, and follow the top performers with the Orange Cap and Purple Cap. First Published: 30 Apr 2025, 05:53 PM IST
