The Delhi High Court has issued an order prohibiting online platforms from broadcasting and streaming the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 without authorization.
In response to a lawsuit filed by Star India Pvt Ltd and Novi Digital Entertainment Pvt Ltd, the operator of the Disney+ Hotstar platform, this legal action was initiated, Economic Times has reported.
These plaintiffs claim to have exclusive global media rights for various ICC events, including the highly anticipated World Cup, which is set to take place from October 5 to November 19.
Recognizing the immense popularity of the World Cup cricket matches, particularly in the Indian subcontinent, Justice Prathiba M Singh underscored the risk of rogue websites engaging in unauthorized dissemination of World Cup content. Many such websites have a history of piracy, and they are likely to persist in their unauthorized streaming activities.
According to the ET report, the judge also directed the relevant authorities to block and suspend these rogue websites.