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Restrains Piracy of Ajay Devgn's 'Drishyam: The Conclusion' a Day Before Release
A Day Before Release: Court Steps In
The has granted an urgent to protect Ajay Devgn's highly anticipated film Drishyam: The Conclusion from piracy, just one day before its scheduled release on . The order, passed by Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav on , restrains nine identified rogue websites and unknown infringers from hosting, streaming, or making the film available without authorization.
The Piracy Menace
The suit, filed by the film's producer, , alleged that the defendant websites—including ssrmovies.style, Cinevood.date, and Skymovieshd.lgbt—are engaged in a systematic business of piracy. The plaintiff pointed to a history of infringement, noting that these platforms had previously streamed the company's earlier hit Jolly LLB 3 without permission. With the new film's release imminent, the plaintiff argued that the defendants would inevitably upload illegal copies, causing irreparable harm.
Court's Reasoning
The court was persuaded by the plaintiff's submissions and the evidence gathered by a third-party investigation agency, which confirmed that the websites were accessible in Delhi and were actively infringing copyright. Relying on the precedent set in , where similar pre-release protection was granted, Justice Kaurav observed that the plaintiff had established a strong . The court noted that the potential injury could not be adequately compensated by monetary damages and that the clearly favored the plaintiff.
"On a of the pleadings and the material placed on record, the Court is satisfied that the plaintiff has been able to make out the case for grant of ."
"The nature of the injury, which the plaintiff may likely to suffer, may not be remedied in terms of money."
What the Order Says
The court issued a multi-pronged direction to curb piracy. First, defendant nos. 1 to 9 and their agents are restrained from communicating, hosting, streaming, or downloading the film in any manner. Second, domain name registrars (defendant nos. 12 to 29) are directed to suspend, block, or deactivate the infringing domain names within 72 hours of receiving notice and evidence from the plaintiff. Third, government authorities have been tasked with ensuring full compliance. The order also grants the plaintiff : if it discovers any new website or person engaging in piracy, it can approach the registrars, ISPs, or the government, who must take immediate action.
Looking Ahead
The suit is next listed for hearing on , before the joint registrar. The order, being ex parte, remains open to challenge by the defendants once they are served. For now, the has delivered a swift and decisive blow against online piracy, reinforcing its consistent approach of protecting creative works through pre-release injunctions.
