Delhi High Court orders ISPs to block piracy websites streaming Stranger Things, Friends

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has directed internet service providers to block access to multiple websites found to be illegally streaming pirated films and television series, including Stranger Things, Friends, Batman, The Squid Game and The Jungle Book, according to a news report.

Justice Tejas Karia passed the order in favour of Warner Bros, Netflix, Apple, Disney and Crunchyroll, directing action against websites hosting unauthorised copies of copyrighted content. The court also permitted the rights holders to include mirror, redirect and alphanumeric variations of the infringing websites under the same proceedings.

“To keep up with the hydra-headed nature of the infringement actions of such infringing domains or websites, this Court finds it fit to grant a ‘Dynamic+ injunction’ to protect the Plaintiffs’ Copyrighted Works as soon as they are created, to ensure that no irreparable loss is caused to the owners of Copyrighted Works, as there is an imminent possibility of the Plaintiffs’ Copyrighted Works being uploaded on Infringing Websites or their newer versions immediately thereafter,” the Court said.

The order followed a plea filed by Netflix, Warner Bros, Apple, Disney and Crunchyroll, members of the Motion Picture Association, who told the court that they are global entertainment companies holding copyrights over a range of films and television series.

They argued that unauthorised streaming platforms continued to circulate pirated versions of their content, causing financial and reputational harm.

The High Court further instructed internet service providers to block access to the identified infringing websites within 72 hours of receiving the order, reinforcing the judiciary’s stance against online piracy and unauthorised distribution of copyrighted material.