Delhi High Court restrains rogue websites from streaming Ranbir Kapoor's Brahmastra

The Delhi High Court has restrained 18 websites from illegally streaming the upcoming Ranbri Kapoor starrer movie Brahmastra after Star India filed a suit for ex-parte ad-interim injunction [Star India Private Limited v 7Movierulz.tc & Ors]..Justice Jyoti Singh noted that the movie is a copyrighted product of the plaintiff Star India which has made significant investments in the production and promotion of the film.The Court added that piracy has to be curbed and needs to be dealt with a heavy hand and injunction against screening of copyrighted content by rogue websites ought to be granted.“Defendants No. 1 to 18 and all others acting for and/or on their behalf are restrained from in any manner hosting, streaming, retransmitting, exhibiting, making available for viewing and downloading, providing access to and/or communicating to the public, displaying, uploading, modifying, publishing, updating and/or sharing on their websites through the internet or any other platform, the film ‘Brahmastra Part One: Shiva’ and contents related thereto, so as to infringe the Plaintiff’s copyright therein, till the next date of hearing,” the Court ordered..Justice Singh also directed various Domain Name Registrars (DNRs) to block or suspend the domain names of these rogue websites.The Department of Technology (DoT) and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) have also been directed to issue notifications calling upon Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block access to the websites..Star India approached the High Court stating that it is the producer of the movie and any third-party interfering with its exclusive rights would be deemed to infringe the copyright.The Court was told that the movie is set to release in theaters on September 9 and it is an industry practice to release the film for theatrical exhibition first and then make it available for viewing on different platforms.However, the rogue websites in order to make illegal gains make infringing copies and make them available for viewing, downloading and communication to the public, almost simultaneously with the theatrical release of the film, the Court was informed..Star added that in the past, infringing copies of several movies produced/distributed by the plaintiff were communicated to the public and made available for viewing and downloading, on various websites, within hours of the theatrical release..The Court said that the plaintiff has made a prima facie case for grant of ex-parte injunction and, therefore, passed the directions for blocking of the websites.It also issued summons on the suit and made it returnable before the joint-registrar on November 29..Advocates Sidharth Chopra, Yatinder Garg, Vriti Jindal and Akshay Maloo appeared for Star.None appeared for the defendants..[Read Order]