Shahin Akhtar
An Application seeking an order of temporary injunction was presented before the Delhi High Court. In the case, JioHotstar, the plaintiff, sought to restrain the defendants from streaming JioHotstar’s content related to the India Tour of England 2025. The Delhi High Court granted JioStar a dynamic+ injunction, stopping rogue websites from streaming or sharing India Tour of England 2025 content without permission, given the company’s intellectual property rights for digital streaming on its platform.
The case was heard by Justice Saurabh Banerjee who observed that the case seemed to be a clear instance of copyright infringement, where the defendants were leveraging technology to conceal their identities and profit from the plaintiff’s protected content.
Advocate Sidharth Chopra, the counsel of the Plaintiff, added that, The plaintiff company, a prominent entertainment and media entity, broadcasts popular content on its channels. It has secured digital media rights for the India Tour of England 2025 for a two-year period starting from 2025, through an Agreement with Culver Max Entertainment Pvt Ltd (Sony/Licensor). This arrangement enables the plaintiff company to stream ITE 2025 matches exclusively on JioHotStar.
However, this situation became concerning when the defendants, rogue websites, began unlawfully streaming sporting events without authorization from the plaintiff or the rights owner, despite the plaintiff’s exclusive rights. Notably, these websites would often create new domains, websites, and URLs just before a match and deactivate them shortly after, a practice claimed by the company to be ongoing.
With the advent of advanced technology, the plaintiff company is facing unpredictable implications. Upon reviewing the extensive copyright infringement, the bench highlighted the challenge posed by websites that exploit privacy to hide their registration and contact information, thereby making it extremely difficult to track down and hold their operators accountable for copyright infringement.
The continuous infringement by the rogue websites caught the attention of the Bench, which noted that the activity was being carried out in a systematic, organized, and intentional manner, violating the plaintiff’s rights. The rogue websites’ use of URL redirection and identity masking methods further exacerbated the issue, placing the plaintiff in a precarious position.
The Court ruled in favor of the plaintiff, issuing an injunction that prohibits anyone from streaming or sharing India Tour of England 2025 matches on digital platforms without permission. The Court also ordered the blocking of specific websites and granted a dynamic injunction to safeguard the plaintiff’s copyrighted content.
The NDOH is scheduled for October 13, 2025.
Case Name:- Jiostar India Pvt. Ltd. Formerly Known As Star India Pvt. Ltd. v. Https//criclk.com & Ors.
Case No.:- CS(COMM)566/2025
Bench:- Justice Saurabh Banerjee
Click here to access the order
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