Delhi HC grants dynamic injunction to Viacom18 against cricket piracy

With the help of this dynamic injunction, Viacom18 will be able to take rapid action against rogue websites that indulge in piracy. The order requires Internet Service Providers (IPSs) to ban access to such websites after being notified by Viacom18 on an affidavit.

Viacom18-owned JioCinema is providing free, 11-language coverage of the three-match ODI series between Australia and India that got underway on September 22. The series is being broadcast live on the following channels: Colors Tamil (Tamil), Colors Bangla Cinema (Bengali), Colors Kannada Cinema (Kannada), Colors Cineplex Superhits (Hindi), Sports18-1 SD, and Sports18-1 HD (English).

In order to safeguard its media rights with respect to BCCI events from numerous shady and pirate websites, as well as John Does, Ashok Kumar, and unknown defendants, Viacom18 had petitioned the Delhi High Court for an ad-interim dynamic injunction.

The court expressed its concerns about the ongoing threat of piracy and said that they had been inundated with lawsuits regarding such issues. It also highlighted the importance of robust anti-piracy legislation to solve the challenges.

It noted that there was a solid basis for an interim injunction and went on to rule that Viacom 18 would not suffer irreparable harm without the issuance of an order.The court further ordered that Viacom18 does not need to start any new legal actions in connection with any new alphanumeric, redirect, or mirror websites that are anticipated to proliferate throughout the duration of the bilateral series.Viacom18 General Counsel Anil Lale said, “Viacom18 has always been at the forefront in the fight against piracy. I am sure this is a welcome step for all cricket fans, as well as for bona fide broadcasters like us who spend huge sums to get these rights. While we are proud to say that we have won several battles against these pirate websites, we understand that the war against piracy is a continuing one, and we are committed to winning it.”

Apart from BCCI bilateral cricket rights, Viacom18 has digital rights for the Indian Premier League (IPL), Women’s Premier League (WPL), and other major sporting events like the Olympics 2024, MotoGP 2023, La Liga, and Diamond League, among others.