Arnab Goswami says he has been legally threatened not to use the phrase ‘nation wants to know’
A media group allegedly warned Goswami, who responded on social media.
Former TimesNow news anchor Arnab Goswami’s new media venture Republic TV, scheduled to be launched over the next few weeks, has apparently been sent a legal notice by an unnamed “media group”. Goswami took to YouTube to issue his response to the group, leaving no one guessing about its identity.
The main contention of the legal notice, Goswami says, is the rights to the catchphrase he used as anchor of the vastly popular Newshour show on TimesNow – “nation wants to know”.
His response? “Every Indian has a right to use that phrase. And this phrase comes from the heart. Every Indian, through his or her questioning spirit, can use the phrase ‘nation wants to know’. I ask the people of India today: should I stop using this phrase because this media group threatens to imprison me if I do?”
In spite of Goswami’s claim that the phrase belongs to everyone, the news anchor had filed for trademark rights in 2017, according to a report published in Newslaundry. The legal notice was apparently sent by the Times Group because they had filed a similar application soon after Goswami left the company.
Goswami’s new venture has succeeded in being in the news regularly well before its launch. TimesNow continues to lead most viewership ratings among English news channels, despite his departure.