Delhi HC issues order against illegal streaming of ICC cricket matches

The Delhi High Court has issued an interim order to prevent the "illegal and unauthorized" live streaming of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup matches, scheduled to occur between October 5 and November 19.

This legal action stems from a copyright lawsuit initiated by Star India Private Limited, the holder of media rights for international cricket matches organised by the BCCI and the International Cricket Council (ICC). Star India received support from its affiliate, Novi Digital Entertainment Pvt Ltd, the operator of Disney+Hotstar, the designated platform for streaming these matches.

Star India expressed concerns that, once the tournament begins, numerous websites could engage in the unauthorized distribution of these matches. They also highlighted that even if such rogue websites are blocked or removed, they might create "mirror websites" to continue with their illegal broadcasts. As a result, Star India sought to block these websites in real-time.

Justice Prathiba Singh, who presided as a single judge on September 27, observed that World Cup cricket matches are incredibly popular, particularly in the Indian subcontinent. The judge underscored that Star India had obtained the rights to this event through significant investments, making any unauthorized broadcasts on other platforms a substantial financial setback for the company.

The court stated that rogue websites, which have previously engaged in piracy of copyrighted content, are highly likely to persist in sharing copyrighted works with the public during the World Cup 2023.

Therefore, the court observed, it is crucial to prevent rogue websites from disseminating and sharing any part of the cricket match events with the public without proper authorization or licensing from the plaintiffs.