Viacom18 secures Injunction order against John Does/Ashok Kumars

Viacom18 has secured an Injunction order against various pirate websites, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) as well as John Does/Ashok Kumars/Unknown Defendants, this time it is for the most-watched and most-anticipated T20 cricket leagues in the world, the TATA IPL 2023. This is the first time the tournament will be streamed/ hosted/ exhibited/ transmitted digitally exclusively on Viacom18’s authorised platforms.

The IPL has become the best cricket league in the world with and set off a massive fan following among cricket lovers around the world. Since 2008, the IPL has only grown in stature at the back of the successful organization of the Board of Cricket Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

In a Commercial Suit filed before the Hon’ble Madras High Court, Viacom18 Media Private Limited (“Viacom18”) has secured an injunction order to protect the unauthorized digital streaming/ hosting/ downloading/ exhibiting/  transmitting of the Tata IPL 2023 as well as its player auction. While the main event is tentatively scheduled to be aired between 25th March 2023 to 20th May 2023, the player auction is scheduled to take place on 23^rd December 2022. The Hon’ble Madras High Court was pleased to consider the urgency and hear the Interim Applications filed by Viacom18. The Court observed that a prima facie case for Interim injunction was made out and further held that the grant of an injunction would be necessary to avoid irreparable loss/injury from being caused to Viacom18.

The injunction order restrains more than 4,750 specified websites, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), as well as John Does/Ashok Kumars/unknown parties from streaming/ hosting/ downloading/ exhibiting/ transmitting or make available content that violates Viacom18’s copyrights in the event. Now after hitting a ‘maximum’ with this Injunction Order and putting up a big ‘score’ on the board, Viacom18 will now have to set up the ‘fielding’, by initiating contemptuous action against any entity or person which continue to violate its copyrights which may also include initiating criminal action.

Injunction orders in the nature of John Doe/ Ashok Kumar such as these, re-affirm the faith of the owner/ licensee/ assignee of Intellectual Property rights. Such orders passed by the Courts, give more teeth to rights holders in their fight against infringement, since  it directs the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block the websites/ webpages, if required, for the purpose of giving effect to the injunction order.

“We are a nation where Cricket is nothing short of a religion and the Indian Premier League has over the years grown into one of the most anticipated sporting events. We at Viacom18 are proud to be the exclusive digital broadcaster for IPL and this Order will be a shield against bouncers from the Pirates,” said Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd. General Counsel Anil Lale. “We at Viacom18 have always tried to be one step ahead of infringers/ pirates by being pro-active   in our pre-emptive strategy by initiating quia timet actions. In the recent past, we have been successful in procuring injunctive reliefs in various sports events like Road Safety World Series League, Diamond League, La Liga and the FIFA World Cup 2022. While we are proud to say that we have won several battles against these pirate websites, the war against piracy will continue.”