Delhi HC prohibits the illegal streaming and broadcast of the ongoing T20 World Cup

The court acknowledged the significance of ICC events, particularly in India, and the potential revenue loss for the plaintiff.

The Delhi High Court has prohibited the unauthorised streaming and broadcast of the current ICC Men's T20 World Cup due to concerns raised by its official broadcaster regarding the illegal sharing of major sporting events in the past, as reported by ET.

Justice Sanjeev Naurla issued a temporary ruling on a case filed by Star India against multiple illegitimate websites that may engage in unauthorised sharing of cricket matches. Star India stated that they have the media rights for different sports events, such as local and global cricket matches managed by the International Cricket Council and the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

It was argued that, given previous cases of unlawful sharing of significant sports events, there was a high concern that specific online platforms might engage in unauthorised broadcasting of the T20 World Cup taking place in West Indies and the US from June 2 to June 24.

The court noted the importance of ICC events, especially in the Indian subcontinent, and acknowledged that the unauthorised broadcasting of these events could harm the revenue of the plaintiff, who owns multiple channels and the online video-streaming platform Hotstar.

The court emphasised the importance of taking quick action to protect the plaintiff's investment in broadcasting rights and uphold copyright protection in a recent order. The court has ordered that Defendants No. 1 to 9 and/or their representatives are prohibited from sharing, showing, or distributing any part of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 on any electronic or digital platform without permission.

If more infringing websites are found, the plaintiff can notify the telecom department and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to block them, the court stated. The court requested Internet Service Providers and Telecom Service Providers to block access to these websites as well.