Delhi High Court Orders DoT, MeitY to Act Against Tucows for Defying Premier League Copyright Orders

The Delhi High Court has issued a sharp rebuke and a direct order to two key government ministries, demanding action against a foreign tech firm for apparent defiance of its rulings. In a copyright infringement case brought by the Premier League, Justice Tushar Rao Gedela directed the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to take action against Canadian domain name registrar Tucows Domains Inc. within two weeks. The court found that Tucows had displayed “scant regard” for its orders, calling the company's conduct “unpalatable and unacceptable” and indicative of “clear defiance.”

The case centers on Tucows' alleged failure to take down infringing URLs hosting pirated Premier League content, despite previous court orders. Justice Gedela emphasized that because Tucows offers its services and products in India, it is bound by the country's Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The court noted that previous compliance from the company was only achieved after “coercive measures” were undertaken, suggesting a pattern of resistance to Indian legal authority.

This order places significant pressure on both the Canadian registrar and the Indian regulatory bodies. It signals the court's willingness to escalate enforcement against international intermediaries that operate in the Indian digital market but fail to comply with local copyright and intermediary liability laws. The mandated action by DoT and MeitY could involve measures affecting Tucows' ability to operate in India, setting a precedent for how the government handles foreign tech firms perceived as uncooperative with judicial directives on content takedowns.