The ruling has had a global impact on how digital piracy is handled:
: The operators hid behind proxy services to avoid identification.
The Delhi High Court relied on the precedent set in UTV Software Communications Ltd. v. 1337x.to to categorize 9xmovies as a "rogue website". The court identified several factors that qualified the site for this label: 9xmovies case
In early 2024, Applause Entertainment discovered that the third season of its popular series, Undekhi , had been leaked on 9xmovies and various mirror sites within hours of its official release on the streaming platform SonyLIV . Despite issuing legal cease-and-desist notices, the website operators remained anonymous and continued to broadcast the infringing content. Legal Arguments and Court Decision
: Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and governmental authorities were directed to block access to the primary 9xmovies domain and its numerous alphanumeric variations. The ruling has had a global impact on
While the legal focus is often on site operators, users of platforms like 9xmovies face several risks: Indian Kanoonhttps://indiankanoon.org
: The site failed to respond to legitimate takedown notices. Legal Arguments and Court Decision : Internet Service
: The court ordered domain registrars like Namecheap and GoDaddy to lock and suspend infringing domains within 72 hours and disclose subscriber information. Risks for Users
On March 19, 2025, Justice Amit Bansal granted a in favor of the plaintiff. This allowed the court to bypass a full trial since the facts of copyright infringement were uncontested and the defendants failed to appear. Impact of the Ruling