Delhi HC restrains over 100 websites from streaming ‘Spiderman: Across The Spider-Verse’

PTI, May 31, 2023, 8:21 PM IST

Image credit: PTI / File

The Delhi High Court has restrained over 100 ”rogue” websites from unauthorisedly streaming animation films ‘SpiderMan: Across The Spider-Verse’ and ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ on their platforms.

The court’s order came on a lawsuit by Sony Pictures Animation Inc which stated it was the copyright holder of the upcoming release ‘SpiderMan: Across The Spider-Verse’ and has not licensed the right to broadcast it to any website.

The court was told that the animation film, which is a sequel to 2018 blockbuster ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’, was available for viewing on various websites in violation of its copyright and sought directions from the court to prevent the streaming.

‘SpiderMan: Across The Spider-Verse’ is scheduled to release in theatres across the country on June 1.

Justice C Hari Shankar issued summonses on the lawsuit and ordered, ”Defendants 1 to 101, as well as all others acting on their behalf, are restrained from posting, streaming, reproducing.. to the public, on their websites, or through the internet, in any manner whatsoever, any cinematograph work/content/program in which the plaintiff has copyright, including the films ‘Spider-Man: Across The Spider Verse’ and ‘Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse’.”

In the ex parte interim order passed on May 29, the judge noted that the facts indicated the plaintiff’s copyright of both the films are ”in the process of being infringed and violated by the Defendants 1 to 101” which qualify as rogue websites.

The court also directed internet service providers to block access to these websites.

It asked the Department of Telecommunications and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to issue a notification asking all internet and telecom service providers to block access to these websites.