Effective Anti-Piracy Measures: India’s Dynamic+ Blocking Orders

**India’s Courts Intensify Crackdown on Pirate Sites with Global Impact**

In a significant move against online piracy, Indian courts have been issuing powerful site-blocking orders for over a decade, recently enhancing their approach to protect copyright content more effectively. These legal measures, evolving into what are termed as Dynamic+ injunctions, have become a formidable tool against pirate sites, often shaped by major Hollywood entities like Netflix, Disney, and Universal.

A notable instance of this intensified action was in February, when the New Delhi High Court targeted prominent pirate platforms, including Zorox.to and Upmovies.to, demanding local ISPs and domain registrars to block and suspend the domains. This approach not only limits access within India but has also seen global repercussions. For example, the US-based domain registrar Namecheap suspended several domains, including movie-web.app, following the court’s directive, rendering the pirate site inaccessible worldwide.

The latest court order issued by Justice Anish Dayal went further, targeting “hydra-headed” pirate sites by instructing ISPs to block 42 domain names linked to 26 sites, including well-known ones such as Animeflix and Vegamovies. This action aims to protect a vast array of video content, from movies like ‘Encanto’ and ‘Aquaman’ to popular TV series ‘Stranger Things’ and ‘One Piece’, along with future works yet to be created.

A significant aspect of these orders is the inclusion of domain name registrars, requiring them to suspend the infringing domain names and disclose the personal details of the account holders. This has led to the global unavailability of several pirate sites, as seen with the suspension of domains like Animeflix.live and vegamovies.llc by Namecheap.

While these injunctions mark a robust step towards curtailing piracy, the effectiveness varies, with some domains remaining accessible depending on the registrar’s compliance. Yet, the swift action by some, like PorkBun, indicates a growing adherence to these court orders.

The Indian High Court’s measures underscore the country’s commitment to combating piracy, setting a precedent that might encourage similar actions in other jurisdictions. As the battle against online piracy intensifies, the global impact of India’s legal strategies highlights the potential for international cooperation in protecting copyright content.