Delhi High Court blocks pirate app streaming Disney Star content

The Delhi High Court recently issued an injunction against a rogue pirate app and its several websites to prevent them from streaming, reproducing, or making Disney Star channel content available to the public. The lawsuit, filed by Disney Star, seeks a permanent injunction against the King's Pro+ app and related websites.

The court instructed the Department of Telecommunications and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to notify various internet and telecom service providers under their jurisdiction to block the infringing websites.

Disney Star's petition argued that the King’s app, an unauthorized mobile application, lacks permission to reproduce, store, or display Hotstar’s content, for which Disney Star holds exclusive rights. The petition also asserted that the King’s app seeks to exploit Disney Star’s copyright-protected content, offering an alternative to legitimate sources.

Justice Amit Bansal found that Disney Star had made a prima facie case, with the balance of convenience in its favor. Accordingly, the court barred the King’s app from hosting, streaming, distributing, or otherwise making Disney Star's copyrighted content, shows, or programs accessible to the public.

The court also directed the domain name registrar to disclose information about King’s ownership, including name, address, IP address, payment method, bank details, and information on any other websites infringing Disney Star’s content. Additionally, it ordered PayPal Payment Private Limited to freeze the account of the King's app owner. The next hearing is scheduled for February 27, 2025.