The Delhi High Court
granted a dynamic+ injunction in favour of major global entertainment
companies, including Warner Bros, Netflix, Disney, and Columbia Pictures, in
their legal battle against 45 rogue streaming websites accused of copyright
infringement. According to a report by Bar and Bench, Justice Saurabh Banerjee highlighted the necessity of
curbing the rise of such unauthorised platforms, stating that their
proliferation cannot be tolerated.
The plaintiffs,
comprising some of the largest content producers globally, filed the suit to
protect their copyrighted works from illegal streaming and distribution. They
claimed that the accused websites engaged in widespread piracy by
illegally hosting copyrighted content. The plaintiffs argued that despite
sending multiple legal notices to the operators of these websites, no action
was taken to remove the infringing material.
In
its ruling, the Court noted the ‘hydra-headed’ nature of these websites, which
can easily multiply and evade enforcement measures. It also acknowledged that many
of these rogue sites had masked their registration details, complicating the
process of identifying and holding the operators accountable.
The
Court granted a dynamic+ injunction, allowing for not just the blocking of
current infringing websites, but also any future mirror or alphanumeric
variations of these sites. This type of injunction is designed to ensure
ongoing protection against copyright violations by enabling rapid action
against newly identified domains.
The
Court ordered the defendant websites to cease hosting, streaming, or
distributing the plaintiffs’ content immediately. It also directed Internet
Service Providers (ISPs) to block access to these websites within 48 hours,
while governmental bodies like the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and
the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) were instructed
to ensure compliance with the order.
Justice
Banerjee highlighted the urgent need to prevent the continuation of these
“mushrooming” rogue streaming websites, describing their operations as ‘blatant
and utter slavish activities’ with ulterior motives. The matter is set to be
heard again on January 13, 2025.