The Hindu : Sport : Move to vacate stay on SMS cricket scores

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 11, 2006

Sport

Sport

Move to vacate stay on SMS cricket scores

Special Correspondent

Revenue shared with Government: firms

CHENNAI : Telecom majors, restrained from sending SMS (short messaging service) on cricket scores and updates of the India-Pakistan One-Day Internationals, have moved the Madras High Court for vacating the stay.

On February 7, passing orders on a civil suit preferred by the Chennai-based Marksman Marketing Services Private Limited, Justice M. Chockalingam restrained 18 telecom companies from sending SMS of match details.

The matter could not be taken up for hearing on Friday as lawyers in Tamil Nadu were boycotting court proceedings. When it was pointed out to Justice R. Banumathi that the second ODI was scheduled to begin at 10.30 a.m. on Saturday, she said the matter would be heard at 9 a.m. itself.

Meanwhile, the telecom majors filed their counter-affidavits, stating that Marksman had signed an "unenforceable and invalid contract" with the Pakistan Cricket Board and that it could not be enforced in India. Reiterating that they were sending only information available on public domain, that too on a one-to-one basis to their subscribers, the companies said they would not be bound by the contract involving the PCB, VectraCom and Marksman.

As per the licensing conditions laid down by the Union Government, the service providers were entitled to give value added services such as SMS to their subscribers, the counter said, adding "the companies are sharing the revenue with the Government of India, including those collected for value added services as per a specific ratio."

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