Delhi HC Bars 56 Rogue Sites from Streaming Bollywood Films Maalik, Sarbala Ji
The Delhi High Court has recently barred 56 rogue websites from illegally streaming the newly released Bollywood films Maalik and Sarbala Ji, produced by the plaintiff, Tips Films Limited.
A bench led by Justice Amit Bansal passed the order while hearing Tips Films Limited’s plea seeking a permanent injunction to restrain copyright infringement, along with other reliefs.
Observing that a prima facie case was made out in favour of the plaintiff, the judge granted an ad interim injunction in its favour.
“In view of the averments noted hereinabove and the judgment passed in UTV Software Communication Ltd. (supra), this Court is of the opinion that a prima facie case is made out in favour of the plaintiff. The balance of convenience also lies in favour of the plaintiff and against the defendants. Further, irreparable harm or injury would be caused to the plaintiff if an interim injunction is not passed,” the Court said.
The High Court also directed internet service providers across India to immediately block access to the 56 websites.
It was contended that the plaintiff is a listed company and a prominent player in the Indian media industry, primarily engaged in the production, distribution, and licensing of feature films, web series, and other audio-visual content.
The plaintiff submitted that Defendants No 1 to 56 are websites engaged in unauthorised streaming of pirated and unlicensed content, including films owned by third parties, citing the “imminent threat” of online piracy.
It was further pointed out that these websites not only allowed illegal access to copyrighted films but also concealed their identities using domain privacy services to avoid detection.
For Plaintiff: Mr. Harsh Kaushik, Mr. Deepank Singhal, Ms. Anushree Rauta, Mr. Gaurav Dhingra and Mr. Harsh Prakash, Advocates.
For Defendants: Ms. Nidhi Raman, CGSC, with Mr. Arnav Mittal, GP for D-90 and D-91.
Case Title: TIPS FILMS LIMITED versus HTTPS//0GOMOVIES.COM.TR/ & ORS