Delhi High Court Protects Zee’s FIFA World Cup 2026 Rights, Orders Blocking Of Illegal Streaming Sites
Delhi High Court has granted interim protection to Zee’s FIFA World Cup 2026 broadcast rights and ordered blocking of websites accused of illegal streaming.
SociapaHQ
The Delhi High Court has granted interim protection to the exclusive broadcasting rights of Zed Entertainment Enterprises for FIFA World Cup 2026 by passing an order against websites allegedly planning to illegally stream the tournament in India.
In an ex parte interim order passed on June 3, Justice Saurabh Banerjee restrained five websites found by Zed from broadcasting, retransmitting or streaming FIFA World Cup 2026 matches without authorisation. “The tournament is due to be held from June 11 to July 19.
According to reports, the court noted that Zed had made out a prima facie case of copyright infringement and the websites appeared to be working in a manner to conceal their identity while reaping the benefits of content for which they had no legal rights.
Also Read: Meta Oversight Board Criticises Account Ban Process, Calls for Greater Transparency
Rights Protection Order:
Zed has acquired exclusive media rights in India for the FIFA World Cup 2026 on June 1, said Zed. The company is the official rights holder and holds licences to broadcast and distribute tournament content across various platforms, including television, satellite networks, internet-based services, broadband platforms and mobile applications.
The company told the court that several websites had already begun advertising plans to stream the matches without authorisation, raising fears of possible breaches of its intellectual property rights before the tournament.
The court emphasised the urgency of the matter, stating that any delay in intervention could diminish the value of Zee’s exclusive rights and render legal remedies ineffective. It thus ordered domain name registrars to lock and suspend the registrations of the identified websites and related mobile applications.
The order also allows Zed to flag any other infringing sites that may crop up during the course of the tournament. Such platforms can subsequently be brought within the scope of the court’s directions without the need to start fresh proceedings.
Also Read: Google Tops IPL 2026 Advertiser Rankings as E-Commerce Dominates Ad Spend
Piracy Crackdown:
In a bid to curb digital piracy, the court directed the domain registrars to provide information connected with the operators of the websites, including names, email addresses and IP-related information.
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have also been asked to block access to the identified websites as well as any future infringing platforms reported by Zed. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) have been asked to enforce the blocking orders.
The ruling is a key milestone in the protection of sports broadcasting rights in India, as rights holders increasingly use the law to combat piracy and unauthorised digital distribution of premium live sporting action.
