New Delhi [India], July 3 (ANI): The Delhi High Court has handed an ex parte advert interim injunction restraining a number of rogue web sites from illegally streaming or making out there Sony Pictures Networks India Pvt. Ltd.’s unique sports activities broadcasts, together with ongoing worldwide cricket excursions and different marquee sporting occasions.
The Court additionally directed area identify registrars (DNRs), web service suppliers (ISPs), the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to right away block entry to the infringing web sites and droop their domains.
Justice Jyoti Singh held that Sony had made out a prima facie case for the grant of interim aid, observing that piracy of copyrighted broadcasts poses a recurring menace and have to be handled firmly. The Court mentioned any delay in blocking entry to the infringing web sites would end in irreparable damage to Sony’s unique copyright and broadcasting rights, significantly because the India Tour of England (Men’s) 2026 and India Tour of England (Women’s) 2026 are at the moment underway.
Pending additional listening to, the Court restrained a number of Defendants and anybody performing on their behalf from speaking, internet hosting, streaming, screening, disseminating or making out there for viewing or downloading any a part of the sporting occasions on any digital or digital platform with out authorisation.
The Court additional directed the involved area identify registrars to right away block and droop the domains of the recognized rogue web sites. It additionally ordered the registrars to file sealed affidavits inside 4 weeks disclosing the registrant particulars, together with e-mail addresses, contact info and KYC information out there with them.
Internet Service Providers and Telecom Service Providers had been directed to dam entry to those web sites instantly upon receiving a duplicate of the order, whereas the DoT and MeitY had been directed to challenge crucial instructions to all ISPs for blocking or eradicating entry to the recognized web sites.
Recognising the dynamic nature of on-line piracy, the Court additionally granted Sony liberty to determine further rogue web sites found in the course of the forex of the sporting occasions. Upon such intimation, the DNRs, ISPs and authorities authorities have been directed to right away block these web sites as effectively. Sony has been directed to file affidavits and implead the newly found web sites earlier than the Court.
According to Sony’s criticism, the corporate, previously referred to as Culver Max Entertainment India Pvt. Ltd., is a part of the Sony Group and owns unique broadcasting and media rights for a number of worldwide sporting occasions, together with the India and New Zealand excursions of England, the Asia Cup tournaments, The Hundred, the Asian Games 2026, the India Tour of Sri Lanka 2026 and different worldwide cricket occasions. It claimed that the recognized web sites had been illegally streaming its copyrighted broadcasts with out authorisation, thereby infringing its unique broadcast replica rights below the Copyright Act, 1957.
Sony contended that the defendant web sites are ‘rogue web sites’ whose main objective is to facilitate unauthorised streaming of copyrighted sports activities broadcasts. It alleged that the operators conceal their identities by area privateness companies and systematically make infringing content material out there to customers, inflicting substantial industrial losses to the broadcaster.
The Court issued summons within the swimsuit, with the matter directed to be positioned earlier than the Joint Registrar on August 4, 2026, whereas the applying looking for interim injunction has been listed earlier than the Court on October 9, 2026. (ANI)