The Delhi High Court has granted interim protection to Zee Entertainment Enterprises’ exclusive broadcasting rights for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and has issued directions against websites accused of illegally streaming the tournament in India.
As per media reports, in an ex parte interim order passed on June 3, Justice Saurabh Banerjee has restrained five websites identified by Zee from broadcasting, retransmitting or streaming FIFA World Cup 2026 matches without authorisation. The tournament has been scheduled to take place between June 11 and July 19.
The court has observed that Zee has established a prima facie case of copyright infringement and has noted that the websites appeared to be operating in a manner designed to conceal their identities while benefiting from content for which they held no legal rights.
Zee has informed the court that it has secured exclusive media rights for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in India on June 1. As the official rights holder, the company has been authorised to broadcast and distribute tournament content across television, satellite, internet-based services, broadband networks and mobile applications.
According to Zee, several websites have already begun advertising plans to stream the matches without permission, raising concerns over potential violations of its intellectual property rights ahead of the tournament.
Taking note of the urgency, the court has held that delaying intervention could undermine the value of Zee’s rights and render legal remedies ineffective. It has therefore directed domain name registrars to suspend and lock the registrations of the identified websites and associated mobile applications.
The order has also empowered Zee to report additional infringing platforms that may emerge during the tournament. Such websites can subsequently be brought under the ambit of the court’s directions without requiring fresh litigation.
In a move aimed at curbing digital piracy, the court has instructed domain registrars to disclose details such as names, email addresses and IP-related information linked to the operators of the identified platforms.
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have also been directed to block access to the identified websites, as well as any future infringing platforms reported by Zee. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) have been asked to ensure compliance with the blocking directives.
The matter has been scheduled for further hearing on October 6, while the interim protections have remained in force.
