Delhi HC Imposes ₹20 Lakh Damages on Websites for Unauthorized ‘Brahmastra’ Streaming

The Delhi High Court recently emphasized that piracy of cinematograph films stands as a significant contributor to losses within the movie industry.

The court held several websites accountable for damages amounting to ₹20 lakhs due to their illegal streaming of the film “Brahmastra Part One: Shiva.”

A bench of Justice Prathiba M Singh passed a permanent injunction against at least 338 websites for infringing upon the copyrights held by Star India Private Limited regarding the film featuring Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt. It’s worth noting that an interim injunction had been previously imposed on some of these websites.

The lawsuit underscored the proliferation of websites, particularly when it comes to popular copyrighted content, which has become a concerning norm. Furthermore, the court pointed out that despite the authorities implementing various orders in this case, the identities of the individuals or entities behind these infringing websites often remained anonymous, and in some instances, only known to Domain Name Registrars.

The court also acknowledged recent amendments to the Cinematograph Act of 1952 aimed at taking a more stringent stance against piracy. “Cinematograph (Amendment) Act, 2023 has been enacted and notified on 4th August, 2023, to curb the menace of film piracy,” it stated.

Initially, Star India had filed the lawsuit against just 18 websites. However, the interim injunction was later extended to include numerous other rogue and mirror websites. The court was informed that the defendants persisted in infringing upon the content and, in an attempt to circumvent court orders, established mirror or redirect websites for domains that had already been blocked by the authorities.

Considering the substantial number of websites engaged in streaming or copyright infringement, the court decreed that the defendants would collectively and severally be liable to pay ₹20,00,000 in damages to the plaintiff.