Delhi High Court Restrains Electronics Retailer From Screening Films On TVs Without Copyright Society's Licence

The Delhi High Court has recently temporarily restrained an electronics retail chain from playing films from copyright society Cinefil Producers Performance Limited's repertoire at its Delhi stores without a licence.

It has also directed the retailer to suspend satellite, cable, and internet-enabled transmission systems used for such screenings until it obtains a valid licence.

Justice Tushar Rao Gedela passed the order on May 7, 2026, in a suit filed by Cinefil Producers Performance Limited against Hari Om Retail Private Limited.

Cinefil is a copyright society registered under Section 33(3) of the Copyright Act, 1957, authorised to issue licences for communication to the public and public performance rights in cinematographic films.

It administers a repertoire of over 8,000 films on behalf of more than 750 copyright owner members and issues Cinematograph Performance Licences (CPLs) under a statutory tariff scheme to commercial establishments such as hotels, restaurants, hospitals, malls, and electronic retail stores.

The dispute concerns Cinefil's allegation that Hari Om Retail, which operates multiple electronics stores in Delhi, was showing films from its repertoire on televisions and digital display systems in its stores without obtaining the required CPL.

Cinefil contended that this amounted to unauthorised communication to the public under Section 14(d)(iii) read with Section 51 of the Copyright Act.

Cinefil first wrote to the defendant on February 28, 2026, informing it of the statutory licensing requirements, but received no response.

A cease and desist notice followed on March 6, 2026, asking the retailer to stop the alleged infringement across its Delhi locations. That too went unanswered.

Cinefil's representatives later visited the defendant's premises at Pocket B-2, Phase 2, B2-6, Ashok Vihar II, where they photographed and recorded films from the plaintiff's repertoire being screened within the showroom. The material was placed on record before the court.

Cinefil also argued that the defendant appeared to be using digital platforms such as Amazon, Netflix, or YouTube to stream content. It relied on Amazon's terms, which restrict viewing to “personal, non-commercial, private use.”

Granting relief, the court noted that the defendant “appears to be communicating to the public the cinematograph films or portions thereof without obtaining the necessary statutory license from the plaintiff.”

The court found that Cinefil had made out a prima facie strong case. It noted that communication of films from the plaintiff's repertoire without the required licence would prima facie infringe Cinefil's rights.

Under the injunction, Hari Om Retail has been restrained from communicating, broadcasting, or otherwise making available films from Cinefil's repertoire within its premises through satellite systems, cable television networks, IPTV platforms, smart display interfaces, AI-augmented audio-visual transmission systems, or other network-integrated transmission infrastructure.

The court also directed the defendant to suspend satellite, cable, and internet-enabled digital transmission facilities enabling such communication unless and until it obtains a valid CPL from Cinefil.

The matter is listed before the Joint Registrar on August 6, 2026, for completion of service and pleadings, and before the court on October 6, 2026