Mumbai: The Delhi High Court has granted an ex-parte ad-interim injunction in favour of JioStar India Private Limited, authorising the immediate and real-time blocking of rogue websites illegally streaming cricket content over which JioStar holds exclusive broadcast rights.
The Court recognised JioStar as the exclusive rights holder for the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026, currently underway from 15 January to 6 February, and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled from 7 February to 8 March. These rights include television and digital broadcast, exercised through JioStar’s channels and OTT platform, JioHotstar.
Highlighting the organised nature of digital piracy, the Court noted that rogue websites “frequently resurface through mirror and redirect domains” and that any delay in blocking them would result in “irreparable harm, revenue loss, and dilution of exclusive rights.”
Under the order, Domain Name Registrars, Internet Service Providers, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) are directed to block access to identified rogue websites immediately upon intimation. The ruling allows dynamic enforcement, enabling JioStar to report new infringing websites during the tournaments for immediate blocking, without fresh judicial proceedings.
The Court emphasised that injunctions in piracy matters must be effective, dynamic, and technology-responsive, particularly where content is generated and infringed in real time. This landmark order reinforces India’s anti-piracy framework, ensuring swift action against digital infringements and safeguarding the integrity of legitimate sports broadcasting.
