The Delhi High Court ruled on July 27 that internet service providers (ISPs) and domain name registrars (DNRs) cannot unilaterally block websites labeled as 'rogue' by copyright owners. The court clarified that ISPs and DNRs may only perform technical verification to confirm if a new website is a mirror, redirect, or alphanumeric variant of an already blocked site, restricting their authority to block sites on copyright owners' requests, according to medianama.com.
This ruling arose from a copyright suit filed by Home Box Office (HBO) and others against 30 websites accused of illegally hosting and streaming their films and TV shows, sometimes before official release. Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani found the defendant websites to be 'flagrantly infringing online locations' due to masked ownership details and predominant hosting of unlicensed content. The court granted an ad-interim injunction against these sites while establishing a process for handling future mirror or redirect sites, as reported by medianama.com.
The decision impacts how piracy injunctions are enforced in India, limiting copyright owners' ability to direct ISPs and registrars to block websites without judicial oversight. This ruling contrasts with previous practices where blocking orders could be more broadly applied. It also affects the role of government bodies like the Department of Telecommunications and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, which were sought to be involved in disabling access to infringing sites. The case highlights ongoing challenges in balancing copyright enforcement and internet governance in India, per medianama.com.
The court order, available publicly, sets a precedent for future copyright infringement cases involving online piracy. It emphasizes judicial control over blocking decisions rather than leaving them to ISPs or registrars. This ruling was issued on July 27 by Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani in the Delhi High Court, marking a significant legal development in India's approach to combating digital piracy, according to medianama.com.