The Delhi High Court has issued a restraining order against online platforms, preventing them from unauthorized broadcasting and streaming of the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.
A bench of Justice Pratibha M. Singh was hearing a lawsuit filed by Star India Pvt Ltd and Novi Digital Entertainment Pvt Ltd, the operator of the Disney+ Hotstar platform. The plaintiffs asserted their exclusive global media rights, including television and digital rights, for various ICC events, including the World Cup scheduled from October 5 to November 19.
Recognizing the World Cup’s immense popularity, particularly in the Indian subcontinent, the single bench observed that numerous websites were likely to engage in unauthorized distribution of World Cup content. The court emphasized the need to prevent rogue websites, known for past piracy activities, from illegally streaming the matches.
The bench further highlighted that failure to grant an injunction at this stage would cause irreparable harm to the plaintiffs. Additionally, it directed relevant authorities to block and suspend these websites. It also clarified that if any other offending websites are discovered, the plaintiffs can communicate their details to the Department of Telecommunications, the Ministry of Electronics, and internet service providers for the issuance of blocking orders.
