Delhi HC Cracks Down on Websites Hosting Pirated Movies and Shows

The Delhi High Court has ordered the blocking of several websites found to be illegally hosting pirated films and television shows, including Stranger Things, Friends, Batman, The Squid Game, The Jungle Book and others.

The order comes after global entertainment companies -- Netflix, Warner Bros, Apple, Disney, and Crunchyroll -- approached the court, stating that despite repeated take-down notices, piracy websites continued to stream their copyrighted content, resulting in significant financial losses.

Justice Tejas Karia granted a “Dynamic+ injunction” in favour of the companies, allowing immediate action against any new mirror, redirect, or alphanumeric variant of the infringing websites. The Court observed that copyrighted works must be protected from the moment they are created, and swift intervention is necessary to prevent irreparable damage to the rights holders.

The Court noted that the piracy websites were not only streaming content in real-time but also enabling downloads, further amplifying the financial and creative harm to the copyright owners.

Under the order, domain name registrars are directed to lock and suspend the infringing websites within 72 hours and provide the Basic Subscriber Information (BSI) in a sealed cover. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are also required to block access to these sites within the same timeframe.

Justice Karia emphasised that the injunction was necessary to address the “hydra-headed” nature of piracy, which often involves multiple domains, mirrors, and redirect sites that spring up immediately after a takedown. The Dynamic+ injunction ensures that copyright holders can take prompt action against such infringing sites, protecting their works from ongoing and future violations.

This ruling reinforces the judiciary’s commitment to safeguarding intellectual property rights in India and sending a strong message against online piracy.

For any enquiries or information, contact ask@tlr.ae or call us on +971 52 644 3004. Follow The Law Reporters on WhatsApp Channels.