Viacom18 was locked in legal battle against the betting website ‘FairPlay’ for the latter’s unfair practices. The update comes on the heels of the arrest of Gulam Abbas Muni, a figure behind FairPlay’s operations in India. The saga, originating in early 2023 with the media buzz surrounding IPL, has unfolded with the entertainment network taking due legal recourse in the face of infringement of their IP.

“The unlawful streaming made it imperative for us to intervene promptly. After almost a whole year of persistence we now have one of the perpetrators behind bars. In such cases, prompt action is of utmost importance. The damage caused was not just financial but also to our reputation. At Viacom18, we consistently strive to stay ahead of infringers/pirates through proactive legal measures and will continue to do so,” Anil Lale, general counsel, Viacom18 Media, said.

Having secured the digital rights for IPL from BCCI for five years, Viacom18 took measures by seeking a pre-infringement injunction. By an order dated December 21, 2022 passed by the Madras High Court, more than 4750 specified websites, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and unknown parties were restrained from streaming/hosting/downloading/exhibiting/transmitting or making available content that violates Viacom18’s rights in the IPL.

On April 19, 2023, the Madras High Court granted an injunction against FairPlay, thereby restraining the unauthorised digital streaming/hosting/downloading/exhibiting/transmitting of the IPL 2023 on the FairPlay website, including any advertisements. Given FairPlay’s infringement of Viacom18’s rights, Viacom18 filed a suit before the Madras High Court and applied interim injunction against FairPlay.

Furthering their commitment to protecting their rights, Viacom18 filed a criminal complaint before the Maharashtra Cyber Digital Crime Unit (MCDCU) against FairPlay and its owners and distributors, namely Abbas, Penny, and Joe, for copyright infringement, criminal conspiracy, and cheating, among other offences, thus enforcing Viacom18’s rights in IPL.

After months of thorough investigation, on December 12, 2023, the MCDCU successfully arrested Abbas, one of the prime accused. The perpetrator Gulam Abbas Muni was produced before the Court on the same day and has been remanded to police custody until the next date.

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