[Vikram Vedha] Madras High Court orders blocking of 13000+ websites to prevent piracy

The Madras High Court recently passed an interim injunction restraining websites, including several unidentified ones, from infringing any copyright pertaining to the Hrithik Roshan and Saif Ali Khan starrer movie Vikram Vedha.

Justice M Sundar passed the order on September 30, stating that the interim injunction shall operate for a period of six weeks, i.e., upto November 11, 2022.

Court added that for the purposes, if blocking of websites/web pages set out in Schedule-A to judge's summons becomes necessary, the same shall be done by all concerned.

Reliance Entertainment Studio, the co-producer of the film filed a suit before the high court stating that it had invested substantial sums of money in the production of the film that had been released in over 3,000 theatres across the country. The plaintiff alleged that there was an imminent threat of infringement of its copyright as some pirated versions are already surfacing in the internet.

Court noted that the plaintiff was able to make out a prima facie case and in terms of the balance of convenience, if the interim order is not granted, it can result in alleged piracy being completed in all and every aspect of the matter.

It will lead to an irreversible situation and therefore, irreparable legal injury incapable of compensation parameter has also been prima facie satisfied, Court observed.

Therefore, stressing that if notice is issued, it would entail delay and defeat the object of granting an interim order, court before giving notice to the respondents, restrained the websites from infringing any copyright pertaining to the movie to ensure there was no transmission, communication, display and exhibition of the film by them.

It also ordered that the websites or any individual person must not record or reproduce any part of the film to make it available for public viewing, duplication or distribution.

Case No. O.A.No.640 and 640 of 2022