Hollywood heavyweights including Disney, Netflix, Crunchyroll, Warner Bros., and Apple have secured a landmark “dynamic+” injunction from India’s Delhi High Court, aiming to not only block pirate sites within the country but also push for global takedowns by notifying domain registrars and search engines worldwide.
The order, issued on December 18, 2025, and detailed in early January 2026 rulings, targets over 150 domains accused of illegally streaming blockbuster hits like Stranger Things, Friends, Squid Game, Mob Psycho 100, and Arcane, among others. The “dynamic+” mechanism allows studios to swiftly add new rogue sites to the blocklist without repeated court visits, while extending enforcement beyond India’s borders by requiring notifications to international registrars like GoDaddy and search giants such as Google to delist or disable access globally.
Justice Prathiba M. Singh, presiding over the case, emphasized the need for stringent measures against piracy, noting that the defendants, absent from proceedings, were “flagrantly infringing” copyrights. The court ordered Indian ISPs to block the sites within 48 hours and mandated the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to notify relevant authorities for broader compliance. While the injunction’s global reach relies on voluntary cooperation from foreign entities, experts suggest it could pressure registrars to suspend domains, effectively hobbling pirate operations worldwide.
“This is a significant win for content creators,” said a spokesperson for the Motion Picture Association (MPA), which represents several plaintiffs, in a statement. “Piracy undermines the creative economy, and these dynamic injunctions are a powerful tool to combat it efficiently.” The case builds on a precedent set in November 2023, when the Delhi High Court issued a similar order against 45 pirate sites for Hollywood studios.
India’s courts have emerged as a favored venue for anti-piracy actions due to their willingness to grant broad injunctions, contrasting with more limited scopes in the U.S. or Europe. Critics, however, warn of overreach: “While combating piracy is crucial, these global takedown attempts via one nation’s courts raise jurisdictional concerns and could stifle free expression,” noted digital rights advocate Pranesh Prakash of the Centre for Internet and Society.
This push comes amid a piracy surge fueled by streaming wars and economic pressures, with global losses estimated at $71 billion annually for the film industry.
Similar efforts have played out elsewhere: In 2025, U.S. courts ordered domain seizures for sites like Fmovies, while European blocs have coordinated ISP blocks under the Digital Services Act. As Hollywood leverages India’s judiciary for extraterritorial wins, the strategy could inspire more cross-border legal maneuvers—but success hinges on international compliance, potentially sparking diplomatic tensions in the fight against digital theft.
