STAR INDIA PVT LTD Vs. ROY MA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THE plaintiffs have filed the suit for permanent injunction, accounts of profits, delivery up, damages etc.

(2.) THE case of the plaintiffs is that they are leading sports broadcaster in India and the exclusive licensee of media rights to various sporting events / properties. They are also the owners of a network of sports television channels and by virtue of necessary downlink permissions from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the plaintiff No.2 has the sole and exclusive right to broadcast and distribute the Channels in India i.e. Star Sports 1, STAR Sports 2, Star Sports 3, STAR Sports 4, Fox Sports News, STAR Sports HD 1 and Star Sports HD 2 (collectively referred to as "Star Sports Channels"). All the Star Sports Channels are pay channels. The Star Sports Channels carry various exciting sporting events in the field of cricket, football, F1, Badminton, tennis, hockey etc., such as the various international & domestic cricket matches organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), International cricket matches organized by Cricket Australia (CA), International cricket matches organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), cricket matches & tournaments organized by International Cricket Council (ICC), Champions League Twenty 20, W imbledon, Australian Open, Barclays Premier League, Spanish La Liga, Italian Serie A, F1, Hockey India League, Indian Badminton League.

(3.) THE plaintiffs have internet and mobile presence through plaintiff No.2's website / mobile application starsports.com and the starsports.com app which is a dedicated digital sports entertainment service (transmitted through internet and mobile) on which the digital rights to various sporting events / properties are exploited / displayed by the plaintiff. These internet services through starsports.com are an online destination that brings the best of live sports in India. It offers to viewers, sports content on live, delayed live, video on demand and pay per view basis. The internet services through starsports.com are accessible from a browser on a laptop, personal computer or any hand -held device.