In a significant move against digital piracy, the Delhi High Court has ordered the blocking of several rogue websites that were illegally streaming cricket matches and other sporting events for which Sony Pictures Networks India holds exclusive broadcast rights. The order comes as the ongoing India men’s and women’s tours of England attract significant viewership, making them prime targets for piracy.
Justice Jyoti Singh granted an ex parte ad interim injunction in favour of Sony Pictures Networks India, observing that the company had established a strong prima facie case. Stressing the need to protect intellectual property, the Court remarked that “piracy must be curbed and needs to be dealt with a heavy hand.”
The websites directed to be blocked include cricfree.cyou, thegamesurf.com, topstream.pro, crichd.top, cracksports.me, mainstreams.io, qatarstreams.me and vipstand.cc. According to Sony, these platforms were illegally broadcasting its exclusive sports content while concealing the identities of their operators through domain privacy services.
Sony informed the Court that it owns exclusive media rights to several major sporting events, including the ongoing India Tour of England (Men’s and Women’s) 2026, The Hundred 2026, Asia Cup tournaments, India’s tours of Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Ireland, and the Asian Games 2026. The broadcaster argued that unauthorised streaming not only infringes its intellectual property rights but also causes substantial commercial losses by diverting viewers from legitimate platforms.
Recognising the urgency of the matter, especially with the England series currently underway, the Court restrained the defendant websites from hosting, streaming or disseminating any part of the sporting events without authorisation. It also directed domain registrars to suspend the domains and provide available details of the operators, while internet service providers, the Department of Telecommunications and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology were instructed to ensure access to these websites is blocked.
Importantly, the Court also granted Sony a dynamic injunction, allowing it to seek the blocking of any newly emerging infringing websites during the course of the tournaments without initiating fresh litigation.
The ruling reinforces India’s increasingly proactive approach towards combating digital piracy and safeguarding the commercial value of sports broadcasting rights. With media companies investing heavily in acquiring exclusive sports rights, such judicial interventions are expected to play a crucial role in protecting both broadcasters and the wider sports ecosystem.
Source: Bar and Bench
