India Tour of England: Delhi HC grants 'Dynamic+' Injunction to JioStar to combat piracy

The Delhi High Court has granted JioStar India Pvt. Ltd. (formerly Star India Pvt. Ltd.) a sweeping ex parte ‘dynamic+’ injunction to protect its exclusive digital media rights for the upcoming India Tour of England 2025. The order, issued by Justice Saurabh Banerjee, aims to pre-empt piracy by targeting "rogue websites" known for unauthorized streaming of live sports events.

The court order (a copy of which is with Storyboard18) directs multiple internet service providers (ISPs), domain name registrars (DNRs), and government departments to take coordinated real-time action against infringing platforms. It marks a proactive judicial intervention tailored to the fast-evolving nature of digital content piracy.

JioStar acquired exclusive digital streaming rights for the India Tour of England 2025 (ITE 2025) via a sub-licensing agreement with Culver Max Entertainment (Sony), which holds the master rights from the England Cricket Board for South Asia. The matches, scheduled for June to August 2025, will be streamed on JioStar’s OTT platform, ‘JioHotstar.’

JioStar alleged that websites such as https://criclk.com and https://vod.mafiatv.live had previously pirated content from events like IPL 2025. Anticipating similar unlawful streaming for ITE 2025, the company approached the court to prevent further infringement and protect its commercial interests.

Justice Banerjee issued multiple directions, including:

Restraining the primary defendant websites from streaming any ITE 2025 content.

Directing DNRs (Namecheap, Sav.com, Tucows Domains) to suspend the infringing domains within 72 hours.

Ordering ISPs to block access to rogue websites and comply with any updates during live telecasts.

Granting a ‘dynamic+’ injunction, allowing JioStar to submit names of newly discovered infringing websites for immediate blocking without waiting for further court intervention.

Asking DoT and MeitY to ensure ISPs act on such takedown notices promptly.

The court acknowledged the evolving nature of digital piracy, where rogue operators use rapidly changing domain names and identity-masking tactics to evade detection. It emphasized the need for real-time enforcement and lauded similar precedents from courts in Delhi and Mumbai.

The court noted that "This so-called dangerous edge has become even sharper with the fast-paced evolution of certain “hydra-headed” websites, which, even if blocked/ deleted, have the incredulous potential to resurface in multitudes as alphanumeric or mirror websites, with only minor, mechanical changes within seconds. Such “hydra-headed” websites, under the garb of privacy, are able to mask their registration/ contact details perfectly, making it virtually impossible to locate and contact their operators to, if necessary, demand cessation of infringing conduct."

"Thus, in light of the violations already committed by the “rogue websites” by unauthorized streaming of the plaintiff’s copyrighted works during the ongoing ‘IPL’, this Court sees every likelihood that such “rogue websites” will continue to stream copyrighted works to the public during the ITE 2025 without authorization or license from the plaintiff."

The case is listed next for further hearing on October 13, 2025.

In March 2025, Justice Banerjee had ordered the blocking of rogue websites streaming copyrighted IPL. He directed that the ISPs (Internet Service Providers) must block such rogue websites in real-time.

This is one of the most expansive judicial efforts to address real-time sports content piracy in India. By recognizing the technological agility of infringers, the court’s ‘dynamic+’ approach sets a precedent for granting immediate, flexible relief to rights holders in the entertainment and sports industries.