MUMBAI: In a civil suit filed by UTV, the Delhi High Court passed an order restraining cable operators nationwide from distributing, telecasting and broadcasting UTV Motion Pictures’ Thank You and/or otherwise infringing the copyright of UTV.

The SHO/Superintendent of concerned police stations are directed to render assistance to UTV for the purpose of enforcement of the order.

This is the first ever case of a court granting pre-emptive relief from piracy to a plaintiff and is a step forward in the ongoing battle against copyright infringement.

Anand Desai, Partner – DSK Legal, appeared on behalf of UTV and in furtherance to the order, will send warning notices to 1600 cable operators across the country.

UTV Motion Pictures CEO Siddharth Roy Kapur said, "Piracy has been plaguing the entertainment industry for decades now and is one of the biggest impediments to the growth of the business. This decision by the Delhi High Court is a milestone judgment in our ongoing efforts to tackle piracy and we are confident it will act as a huge deterrent to cable piracy going forward."

DSK Legal managing partner Anand Desai added, "Film piracy has reached gargantuan proportions, causing tremendous leakage in revenues of film producers. Cable operators have been exploiting the movie industry by illegally screening films on their networks almost immediately after theatrical release of a film. This verdict delivered by the Delhi High Court comes as a landmark judgment in curbing these illegal activities, including directing police assistance as required. This is a very positive step for curbing illegal activities in India."