The Delhi High Court granted an ex-parte ad-interim injunction in favour of Twenty-Four Frames Factory Private Limited, a production house owned by renowned actor and producer Dr. M. Mohan Babu. The order was passed by Justice Jyoti Singh against the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted content from the film Kannappa, which the plaintiff described as one of its most ambitious projects.
The plaintiff alleged that rogue websites and social media platforms such as Meta (Facebook and Instagram) and X Corp (formerly Twitter) were widely disseminating pirated copies, reels, and clips of the movie, causing significant commercial loss and reputational harm. The Court was informed that of 1,776 infringing links identified on Meta platforms, only 191 had been removed so far.
Acknowledging the urgency of the matter and citing the Supreme Court’s precedent in Yamini Manohar v. T.K.D. Keerthi (2024) 5 SCC 815 , the Court exempted the plaintiff from pre-institution mediation under Section 12-A of the Commercial Courts Act. The Court also noted that the plaintiff had made out a prima facie case, and the balance of convenience lay in its favour, with irreparable harm likely in the absence of relief.
Accordingly, the Court directed Meta Platforms Inc. and X Corp to disable the infringing URLs listed in the plaint and ordered the plaintiff to comply with procedural requirements under Order XXXIX Rule 3 CPC within one week. The case marks another judicial step toward enforcing copyright protections against digital piracy in India’s entertainment sector.
Appearances:
Plaintiff: Ms. Neha Khanduri and Mr. Achal Mittal, Advocates.
Defendant: Mr. Varun Pathak, Mr. Akhil Shandilya and Mr. Mrityunjay Roy, Advocates for D-2 and 3.
Ms. Nidhi Raman, CGSC with Mr. Arnav Mittal and Mr. Om Ram, Advocate for D-5 and 6
