Flashback: Reliance's 2014 Legal Notice to Hyderabad Techie Over Jio Domain

The merging of JioCinema and Disney Plus Hotstar gained attention after an app developer claimed to have purchased the JioHotstar domain and requested Reliance to support his tuition at Cambridge. As the news gained traction, another technician from Hyderabad told a similar incident.

There is a trending discussion about the JioHotstar domain purchase, so I thought I’d share my own story," wrote Amit Bhawani in a series of posts on X.

He said that he had heard a rumour that “Jio” might be Reliance’s upcoming brand. “So I took a chance and registered those domains, thinking they might turn out to be valuable,” he said.

"Two years later, in 2014, I received a legal notice from Reliance’s team claiming that I was holding their trademarked property. Since they did officially own the trademark, and I was busy with other professional commitments, I decided not to go toe-to-toe with such a big company," he said.

Bhawani stated that he attempted to sell the domains for $25,000 (roughly ₹21 lakh) but received a formal notice from Reliance. "They had the upper hand. Realising it wasn’t worth the fight, I handed over the domains without any fuss," he said.

Furthermore, in an update of domain acquisition, the Delhi-based technician, who has yet to divulge his identity, claimed that Reliance Industries had threatened to sue him.

"An Executive from Reliance reached out - Ambujesh Yadav Ji, AVP, Commercials. A request was made for £93,345, which represents the tuition fees for the EMBA program. The request has been denied," the techie wrote.

"The request has been denied. Reliance will proceed with legal action. I hope they will reconsider this kind request. I wish such a large group could help. Thank you to all who shared and sent kind words. I don't have the power to stand against Reliance," he added.