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The Delhi High Court has granted an interim injunction restraining seven rogue websites from illegally streaming the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021. The court passed the order on a plea filed by Star India, which is the exclusive media rights partner of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Justice Sanjeev Narula noted that not granting an ex-parte interim injunction will cause an irreparable loss to the exclusive broadcaster, which has a prima facie case in its favour. The bench issued summons on the suit and listed the matter for further hearing on February 22.
"Defendants Nos. 1 to 7 (rogue websites) (and such other websites and entities which are discovered during the course of the proceedings ) are restrained from, in any manner, communicating to the public, hosting, reproducing, streaming, broadcasting, re-broadcasting, re-transmitting, exhibiting, and/ or making available for viewing and downloading, providing access to and/ or communicating to the public, displaying, uploading, modifying, publishing, updating and/ or sharing, the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021, and the content related thereto, so as to not infringe the Plaintiff's broadcasting reproduction rights as contained in Star Channels and Disney+ Hotstar in relation to the same," the court said in an order dated October 12 order.
The seven rogue websites mentioned in the order are http://filmyclub.wapkiz.com, http://ipl.hitcric.tv, tamilblasters.win, http://uptomovie.xyz, http://doratv-ipl.wapkiz.com, http://thdtvworld.xyz and http://zolhdtv.com.
The court clarified that if other similar websites are discovered by Star India concerning the streaming of the World Cup and are brought on record by way of an affidavit, the interim order of injunction would apply to them as well. The court further directed the Centre to issue notification calling upon the internet and telecom service providers to block access to websites, and also directed the internet service providers to block such access.
Apprehending infringement of its exclusive rights concerning the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021, Star India alleged that seven rogue websites infringed the same earlier for another cricket event, Vivo IPL 2021. It also submitted that such rogue websites spring up at the time of the broadcasting of the events and infringe the exclusive broadcasting rights.
"Defendants Nos. 1 to 7 (rogue websites) (and such other websites and entities which are discovered during the course of the proceedings ) are restrained from, in any manner, communicating to the public, hosting, reproducing, streaming, broadcasting, re-broadcasting, re-transmitting, exhibiting, and/ or making available for viewing and downloading, providing access to and/ or communicating to the public, displaying, uploading, modifying, publishing, updating and/ or sharing, the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021, and the content related thereto, so as to not infringe the Plaintiff's broadcasting reproduction rights as contained in Star Channels and Disney+ Hotstar in relation to the same," the court said in an order dated October 12 order.
The seven rogue websites mentioned in the order are http://filmyclub.wapkiz.com, http://ipl.hitcric.tv, tamilblasters.win, http://uptomovie.xyz, http://doratv-ipl.wapkiz.com, http://thdtvworld.xyz and http://zolhdtv.com.
The court clarified that if other similar websites are discovered by Star India concerning the streaming of the World Cup and are brought on record by way of an affidavit, the interim order of injunction would apply to them as well. The court further directed the Centre to issue notification calling upon the internet and telecom service providers to block access to websites, and also directed the internet service providers to block such access.
Apprehending infringement of its exclusive rights concerning the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021, Star India alleged that seven rogue websites infringed the same earlier for another cricket event, Vivo IPL 2021. It also submitted that such rogue websites spring up at the time of the broadcasting of the events and infringe the exclusive broadcasting rights.