Shark Tank India pitcher sends legal notice to Sony over social media account suspension, says 'They unjustly targeted us'

Shark Tank India was launched in December 2021 with the aim of enabling aspiring entrepreneurs in India to pitch their business models to a panel of investors and persuade them to invest in their ideas.

However, it seems the focus has shifted towards becoming a platform embroiled in legal disputes and controversies between participants and the show's creators.

Previously, Sony sent a notice to tea startup Dorje Tea for using clips of their pitch on their social media handles. This time, Sony has gone further—targeting the startup's social media and ad account.

Founder Pathik Patel pitched his snacking startup, Fit & Flex, on Shark Tank India Season 3, dreaming of raising funds to grow his business. However, this dream turned into an unexpected nightmare. 

"Sony Entertainment Television has unjustly targeted us for trademark violations without any prior notice," Patel wrote in a post on LinkedIn earlier this week.

He explained that the show's creators had flagged social media posts containing clips from the episode, disabled the collaboration feature, unpublished their Facebook page, and, even worse, blocked their ad account.

Explaining why he used the Shark Tank India clips, Pathik cited the show's guidelines, which allowed him to use clips for marketing purposes for three months from the episode's air date. However, Patel claims that their content was pulled down within 25 days. 

"We don’t want to use any clips for marketing and just want our original accounts back," Patel said.

Patel also claimed that he isn't alone, as more than 70 startups are facing these challenges. 

"As the founder of Fit and Flex, I've poured my heart and soul into building our brand from the ground up. It is extremely disheartening to see that massive media houses are harassing startup brands," Patel added.

Earlier, media reports said that Fit & Flex had sent a legal notice to Sony Pictures Network (SPN) accusing them of not honouring their contractual obligations. 

"Despite numerous attempts to resolve these issues, we have faced complete radio silence from Sony, augmenting our challenges and highlighting the lack of accountability," Patel reportedly said.