Delhi High Court restrains 'rogue' websites from illegally streaming 'Brahmastra'
What's the story
To put an end to the perils of piracy, the Delhi High Court has restrained the illegal streaming of Ayan Mukerji's upcoming film Brahmastra: Part One—Shiva by several "rogue" websites.
The court also said that "piracy has to be curbed and dealt with a heavy hand."
The film marks the maiden cinematic collaboration between Ranbir Kapoor-Alia Bhatt and will be released theatrically on Friday.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The menace of piracy has been rotting the film industry for a while, and numerous mainstream movies find their way to illegal websites and apps merely a day or two after release, which puts a dent in the makers' pockets.
Since this has already been an unremarkable year for Bollywood, if Brahmastra is nabbed by piracy, it will be disastrous for the industry's business.
Complaint
Film's co-producer Star India filed the lawsuit
A lawsuit was filed by Star India (one of the producers of the film), which highlighted the importance of a proper theatrical release unmarred by any piracy woes, said reports.
The suit said, "The rogue websites in order to make illegal gains make infringing copies and make them available for viewing, downloading, and communication to the public, almost simultaneously with the theatrical release."
Response
As many as 18 sites restricted from showcasing 'Brahmastra'
Justice Jyoti Singh restricted about 18 sites from "hosting, streaming, exhibiting, downloading or in any way updating/sharing the film through the internet or any other platform."
The order said, "There is no gain saying that piracy has to be curbed and needs to be dealt with a heavy hand and injunction against the screening of copyrighted content by rogue websites ought to be granted."
Action
'Piracy will erode the value of the film,' said court
The court also agreed that if the "rogue websites communicate the film in any manner, on any platform, it would severely impact the interest of the plaintiff monetarily and will also erode the value of the film."
Taking action, it has also directed the domain name registrants to "suspend/block the domain names registrations of the rouge websites named by the plaintiff (sic)."
Information
A quick glance at 'Brahmastra: Part One—Shiva'
Brahmastra has been in the making for several years and is reportedly mounted on a budget of a jaw-dropping Rs. 410cr.
It is already performing extraordinarily well in terms of advance bookings and is expected to register a double-digit opening.
The fantasy adventure drama is the first part of a planned Astraverse trilogy and also stars Amitabh Bachchan, Mouni Roy, and Nagarjuna, among others.