Once Godpower Media notifies a link in writing, internet service providers and social media intermediaries must block or take it down, with no fresh trip to court: that is the Dynamic Injunction the Bombay High Court has granted ahead of the November 5 release of the Rs 2,000 crore film Ramayana.
Mumbai: Days before its global theatrical release on November 5, the film Ramayana has been placed under a dynamic injunction by the Bombay High Court, which on Monday (November 2) restrained unidentified “John Doe” entities and digital platforms from recording, hosting, streaming or otherwise communicating it to the public without authorisation [Godpower Media Private Limited v. John Does and Others].
The ad-interim order was passed by Justice Madhav Jamdar in a copyright suit brought by Godpower Media Private Limited. The Mumbai-based company holds the copyright and exploitation rights in the film, having acquired all its domestic and territorial intellectual property rights.
A real and well-founded apprehension
Justice Jamdar accepted that the threat was real, recording:
“Prima facie, the plaintiff has real and well-founded apprehension that the film or parts of it will be recorded and uploaded, streamed, or communicated to the public on various platforms.”
What makes the relief “dynamic” is its reach. It restrains unknown John Doe entities from disseminating the film without authorisation, and it directs internet service providers and social media intermediaries to block and take down offending links and mirror sites immediately on written notice from the plaintiff, so that Godpower need not return to court for each new website.
Why Godpower came to court
The company sought protection over the film’s script, characters, footage, lyrics and recordings. The Court was told that Part I of Ramayana was produced at an outlay of Rs 2,000 crore, and that the combined budget for the two parts is placed at Rs 4,000 crore.
According to the plaintiff, both trailers of the film were secretly recorded at invite-only preview screenings, despite strict non-disclosure obligations, and circulated on digital networks before their official release. It apprehended that the film itself, or parts of it, would be pirated once it reached theatres.
What the platforms must do
Godpower has been directed to communicate the URLs carrying the film to internet service providers and platforms, which must immediately take steps to block, disable access to, or take down the infringing content. Counsel for Google LLC and other global social media intermediaries recorded no objection to the order and assured prompt action once offending links are notified.
The suit will be heard next on December 16.
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Why the order matters
Pre-release anti-piracy orders have become standard for big-budget films, and courts in Delhi, Madras and Bombay have repeatedly granted John Doe injunctions against unnamed infringers. The problem they address is one of speed: pirate sites reappear under new domains within hours, and a static order naming specific URLs is outdated almost as soon as it is passed.
A dynamic injunction moves the burden of speed. Once the court has found a prima facie case on copyright, the rights holder can notify fresh links and mirror sites directly to intermediaries, who must act at once. With the intermediaries recording no objection, the order shows how such relief now works for a film of this scale, while the suit itself remains to be decided on merits.
Case Title: Godpower Media Private Limited v. John Does and Others
Bench: Justice Madhav Jamdar, Bombay High Court
Date of Order: November 2, 2026
For the Plaintiff: Senior Advocate Ashish Kamath with Advocates Ameet Naik and Madhu Gadodia, instructed by Anand and Naik