Delhi High Court Restrains Unauthorised Streaming of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup

The Delhi High Court has issued an interim order restraining the unauthorised streaming and broadcast of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, following a plea from its official broadcaster, Star India Private Limited. The broadcaster expressed strong apprehensions over the illegal dissemination of major sporting events in the past.

Justice Sanjeev Naurla, who passed the order, acted on a lawsuit filed by Star India against several rogue websites suspected of planning to illegally stream cricket matches. Star India holds the media rights for various sporting events, including those organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Star India argued that, based on previous instances, there was a significant likelihood that certain online platforms would engage in unauthorised streaming of the T20 World Cup, held from June 2 to June 24 in West Indies and the US. The court recognised the widespread appeal and significance of ICC events, particularly in the Indian subcontinent, and noted that unauthorised telecasting poses a significant threat to the revenue streams of the plaintiff, which owns several channels and the online video-streaming platform Hotstar.

Justice Naurla stated, “Swift action to prevent such infringements is crucial to preserving the plaintiff’s investment in the broadcasting rights and maintaining their copyright protection.”

The court ordered that:

• Defendants No. 1 to 9, and any persons acting on their behalf, are restrained from communicating, hosting, streaming, screening, disseminating, or making available for viewing/downloading, without authorisation, any part of the ICC events, specifically the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, on any electronic or digital platform.
• If further infringing websites are discovered, the plaintiff has the liberty to communicate the details to the telecom department and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology for the issuance of blocking orders.
• Internet Service Providers and Telecom Service Providers are to block access to such rogue websites.

This ruling is a significant step in protecting the broadcasting rights of official holders and ensuring that unauthorised streaming does not undermine the investments and revenues associated with major sporting events.

For ongoing and detailed coverage of legal developments, business news, and real-time updates on law and politics, visit Kanishk Social Media. If you found this news article informative, please share it with a friend!