$~25 * IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI % Date of Decision: 15^th January, 2026 + CS(COMM) 175/2025 & I.As. 5288/2025, 5290/2025 STAR INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED .....Plaintiff Through: Ms. Ishi Singh, Advocate.

versus

1XBETCOM & ORS. .....Defendants Through: Ms. Rukhmini Bobde, CGSC for D-42 and 43.

CORAM:

HON'BLE MS. JUSTICE JYOTI SINGH

JUDGEMENT

JYOTI SINGH, J. (ORAL)

1. This suit is instituted by the Plaintiff seeking permanent injunction restraining Defendants No. 1 to 24 from infringing Plaintiff’s exclusive broadcasting and reproduction rights, amongst other reliefs.

2. Subject matter of the present suit is ‘ICC Champions Trophy 2025’ (‘Event’). The matches under the Event were scheduled from 19.02.2025 till 09.03.2025 and included 12 matches, 2 semi finals and a final and were held in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.

3. As per the case set up in the plaint, Plaintiff is an entertainment and media company in India engaged, inter alia in production of popular content broadcasted on its channels. Along with its affiliates, Plaintiff is the owner of an extensive portfolio of more than 100 channels in over 10 languages, including channels like Star Movies, Colors Infinity, Sports18, Star Gold, Star Sports 1, MTV, Disney Channel, National Geographic etc. By virtue of order dated 27.09.2024, passed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, granting uplink and downlink permissions, Plaintiff has the sole and exclusive right to broadcast and distribute Star Channels in India, which broadcast sporting events in sports such as Cricket, Football, Formula 1, Badminton, Hockey, to name a few.

4. It is stated that Plaintiff owns and operates online audio-visual streaming platform and websites ‘www.hotstar.com’, ‘www.Jiocinema.com’ and mobile applications ‘JioHotstar’ and ‘JioCinema’. Plaintiff’s OTTs enable viewers to watch television serials and programs, films, sports content, including live sports content etc. The highly evolved video streaming technology, impeccable quality of video streaming and vast library of content, places the Plaintiff amongst the most popular video streaming services in India.

5. It is stated that Plaintiff entered into Media Rights Agreement dated 27.08.2022 with ICC for exclusive digital medial rights and television rights for India in relation to various domestic and international men’s and women’s cricket competitions inter alia for a period of 4 years i.e., from 2024 to 2027 and consequently, Plaintiff enjoys broadcast reproduction rights conferred by Section 37 of The Copyright Act, 1957 (‘1957 Act’).

6. The present suit was instituted by the Plaintiff for restraining Defendants No. 1 to 24 and all others acting on their behalf from communicating, hosting, streaming, screening, disseminating or making available for viewing or downloading, without authorization, any part of the event on any electronic or digital platform in any manner. Plaintiff impleaded the Domain Registrars as Defendants No. 25 to 31 to lock and suspend the given domain names of Defendants No. 1 to 24. Defendants No.

32 to 39 are ISPs/TSPs, which were impleaded to block the websites of Defendants No. 1 to 24. Defendant No. 42 is DoT and Defendant No. 43 is MeitY for the purpose of issuing blocking orders. Defendants No. 40 and 41 are banks, which were impleaded to freeze the bank accounts and disclose KYC details etc.

7. On 28.02.2025, after hearing the Plaintiff’s counsel, Court granted ex parte ad interim injunction in favour of the Plaintiff and restrained Defendants No. 1 to 24 from hosting, streaming etc., any part of the event without authorization, on any platform and in any manner whatsoever. Directions were passed to the DNRs to lock and suspend the given domain names of Defendants No. 1 to 24, while ISPs/TSPs were directed to block the websites, amongst other directions to the other Defendants. On 23.09.2025, learned Joint Registrar recorded that all 45 Defendants were served with summons and neithe