Knockout To Infiltrators of Copyright in Tokyo 2020, Olympics
In the present case, the Plaintiff, Sony Pictures Networks India Pvt. Ltd., is the owner of broadcasting channels namely SONY TEN 1, SONY TEN 1 HD, SONY TEN 2, SONY TEN 2 HD, SONY TEN 3, SONY TEN 3 HD, SONY TEN 4, SONY TEN 4 HD, SONY SIX, SONY SIX HD.
The plaintiff has acquired from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) the exclusive right to broadcast the Tokyo Olympics in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Maldives from the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The defendant’s website www.yallashootextra.com was broadcasting a live telecast of the Tokyo Olympics by using the platform of the plaintiff in a pirated manner.
Upon investigation, the plaintiff found out that the Defendants violate and breach his Intellectual Property Rights guaranteed under Copyright Act, 1957. Upon which the plaintiff issued a suit against the defendant in the Delhi High Court.
The plaintiff pleaded before the Hon’ble court that an interim injunction order is passed against the Defendants to refrain them from broadcasting/ communicating, telecasting, transmitting/communicating to public/making available any match, footage, clip, audio-video to the public, by using the Plaintiff channels.
The plaintiff, therefore, asserts exclusive right to broadcast or telecast the Tokyo Olympics over any media platform. Reliance has been placed, in this context, on Section 37 of the Copyright Act, 1957. The plaintiff claims that it is the exclusive licensee regarding all media rights relating to the broadcast of the Tokyo Olympics in the above territories by the agreement executed between the plaintiff and IOC.
The Hon’ble Delhi High Court granted ad-interim order in favor of plaintiff thereby restraining the Defendants to not host, stream, reproduce, distribute, broadcast, make available to the public and/or communicate to the public any unauthorized and unlicensed reproduction or broadcast on the local channels or through other means of various copyrighted content, including but not limited to the matches of the said sporting events through cable network.
Reference: Sony Pictures Networks India Pvt. Ltd v/s www.yallashootextra.com. CS(COMM) 326/2021
