Court asks WhatsApp to block groups circulating e-newspapers  

WhatsApp has been directed by the Delhi High Court to remove the groups which are illegally spreading the online edition of the newspapers which are owned by the Dainik Bhaskar Corp Limited.  Justice Sanjeev Narula said in an order which was passed on December 24: “A self evident case has been made by the complainant  with the balance of convenience lying in favour of the complainant. Moreover an irreversible loss would happen in the case of an ex-parte order of directive not being granted – preventing the contravening Defedants from the illegal circulation and distribution of the e-newspaper of the plaintiff.”  The High Court has been approached by the publishers of Dainik Bhaskar and other newspapers, seeking directions to WhatsApp to get particular groups blocked which are apparently circulating the e-newspapers without proper authorisation. Previously in its response to a notice from DB Corp Ltd, WhatsApp had rejected the request to block certain groups seeking the production of a court order. The court was told that the access to its e-newspapers on a subscription basis through its mobile application and official website was provided by DB Corp.  Dainik Bhaskar said before the court: “The stated process of the digitization of publication required enough investment in the research and development and other resources for providing quality service as well as increasing the readership of the newspapers. A reader has the accessibility of subscribing to a plaintiff’s newspaper by the payment of a subscription fee. It is available for an individual user for browsing content on the website for personal usage, with the subscriber not having the option of downloading the e-newspapers. It was said by DB Corp that the illegal and unauthorized sharing of e-newspapers belonging from different publications has become unrestrained and is detrimental to the publishers’ interests. The court has been approached by a number of other newspaper organizations against Telegram and Whatsapp asking for similar decisions. In its suit, 85 groups have been named by DB Corp on Whatsapp with the submission that there must be many other such platforms and groups where there has been an illegal and unauthorized sharing of e-newspapers.”  The next hearing for the case is on May 2, 2022.