India: Copyright

In Home Box Office Inc & Ors. v. Streamzy.to & Ors. (CS(COMM) 740/2026, 2026:DHC:5967; order dated 27 July 2026), Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani granted an ad-interim injunction against a cluster of rogue streaming websites and, more significantly, refined the mechanism by which such injunctions are extended to the mirror, redirect and alphanumeric sites that predictably follow. The order’s contribution lies in a single, disciplined distinction: between the technical verification that an intermediary may perform, and the adjudicatory determination that belongs to the court alone.

Almost every piece of software built or deployed in India today relies, to some extent, on open-source software. Indian technology companies, from early-stage startups to large IT services businesses, use open-source components to accelerate development, reduce costs and avoid reinventing well-tested infrastructure.

Can a claim for damages fail simply because the claimant cannot prove the exact rupee value of its loss? In a judgment pronounced by Arif S. Doctor, J. in Ultra Distributors Pvt. Ltd. v. M/s. Dhariwal Films Pvt. Ltd. & Ors., the Bombay High Court has conclusively answered No.

The Delhi High Court's reference to a Larger Bench examines a fundamental question: when does online commercial activity establish territorial jurisdiction in intellectual property disputes? As digital commerce erases traditional geographical boundaries, courts must determine whether website accessibility, targeted advertising, or completed transactions create sufficient legal nexus with a particular forum.

The Indian Performing Right Society Limited (IPRS) is a copyright society registered under Section 33 of the Copyright Act, 1957. It administers and collects royalties on behalf of authors, composers, and music publishers for the public communication of musical and literary works. Under Section 2(ff) of the Copyright Act, 1957, ‘communication to the public’ includes any transmission of a work, by wire or wireless diffusion, broadcast, cable, satellite, or any other means, that makes the work accessible to the public. Digital platforms, apps, and online services that incorporate music into their product therefore fall squarely within this definition.

Any business that uses copyrighted music in India, whether in a mobile application, digital platform, live event, broadcast, or commercial production, must obtain authorisation from the relevant copyright holders. In India, there are two primary routes through which this authorisation can be obtained: (i) a direct licence negotiated with and granted by the rights holder (or its authorised representative), or (ii) a licence obtained through a registered copyright society that administers the rights of multiple owners on a collective basis.

Artificial intelligence (AI) stands as one of the most groundbreaking technological advancements of the 21st century, redefining how individuals, businesses, and governments operate in an increasingly digital world. At the forefront of this revolution is OpenAI, a research organization dedicated to ensuring the ethical and beneficial deployment of advanced AI systems.

Since the launch of large language models(‘LLMs’), there have been debates regarding the legality of use of publicly available copyrighted works for training of LLM models.

The Supreme Court has clarified the service tax treatment of marketing and promotion expenditure incurred by a broadcaster on commercially exploiting acquired music and song video rights. The Court upheld the CESTAT’s view that such expenditure does not represent consideration for any taxable service to the film producers, since the broadcaster promoted the rights for its own benefit as assignee and therefore no taxable service relationship existed.