48-Hour ‘Cooling-Off Period’: Amicus Curiae Report On Review Bombing Case (image: pixabay)

The Amicus curiae appointed by the Kerala High Court suggested a “48-hour cooling-off period” to review a film. In a report submitted, Amicus Curiae Syam Padman detailed guidelines for handling movie reviews by social media influencers and discussed the issue of review bombing.

Besides a 48-hour waiting period for reviews, the Amicus Curiae suggested several steps to mitigate the review bombing. It includes, reviewing only through the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)-approved websites, requesting vloggers to abstain from using obscene and sarcastic languages, and avoid spoilers that reveal the story. The review should focus on “constructive criticism” instead of ripping up a movie. The report has also suggested the formulation of a the cyber cell portal in order to file complaints concerning such review practices. Vloggers should fact-check reviews in order to ensure accuracy, the report added.

The Amicus Curie in their report also mentioned that if a reviewer wanted to indulge in paid promotion of films by evaluating movie trailers or any other form of promotion, they needed to follow the Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements for Misleading Advertisements, 2022, issued by the Central Consumer Protection Authority for Influencer Advertising in Digital Media.

In response to a petition filed by the Kerala Film Producers Association and Mubeen Rauf, the director of Aromalinte Adyathe Pranayam, Justice Devan Ramachandran of the Kerala High Court had appointed senior advocate Syam Padmam as the Amicus Curiae.