The Delhi High Court recently granted a dynamic+ injunction to global entertainment giants such as Warner Bros., Netflix, and Disney in their case against several rogue streaming websites accused of copyright infringement [Warner Bros Entertainment Inc & Ors v. Doodstream.Com & Ors].
Justice Saurabh Banerjee highlighted the need to curb the growing number of rogue streaming platforms. He stated, “The mushrooming of defendants like these, with blatant, slavish activities and ulterior motives, cannot be allowed to continue… They, and anyone like them, must be stopped as soon as possible and are required to comply with court orders, both in this case and in the future.”
The plaintiffs, consisting of major content producers including Warner Bros., Columbia Pictures, Disney, and Netflix, brought the lawsuit against 45 websites to protect their copyrighted content from unauthorized streaming and distribution. They argued that these websites were engaged in widespread piracy by illegally hosting their content and, despite multiple legal warnings, had taken no action to remove the infringing material.
The plaintiffs sought a dynamic+ injunction to not only block the websites currently infringing on their copyright but also any future mirror or alphanumeric variations of those domains.
In an ex-parte order dated August 30, the Court pointed out that these websites, much like a hydra, could multiply and evade traditional legal enforcement. It found the defendant websites in violation of the plaintiffs’ exclusive copyright under the Copyright Act of 1957.
The Court also noted that the rogue websites had concealed their registration details, making it difficult to trace their operators. Consequently, the Court issued an ex-parte interim injunction, ordering the immediate cessation of all streaming, hosting, or distribution of the plaintiffs’ content by the defendants.
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) were directed to block access to the infringing websites within 48 hours, and government agencies such as the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) were tasked with ensuring compliance.
The dynamic+ injunction granted by the Court allows swift action against any future mirror or altered versions of the infringing websites. Unlike traditional injunctions, which only block specific URLs, this ruling empowers the plaintiffs to target new domains that emerge after the original ones are blocked, ensuring ongoing protection against copyright breaches.
The case is scheduled for its next hearing on January 13, 2025.
The plaintiffs were represented by advocates Saikrishna Rajagopal, Suhasini Raina, Anjali Agrawal, Mehr Sidhu, and Priyanka Jaiswal.
(With inputs from agency)
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