Delhi High Court blocks fake channels, websites, and handles misusing its name, protecting NDTV trademark, and strengthening digital brand identity.
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NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on August 20 granted an ex parte ad-interim injunction in favour of New Delhi Television Limited (NDTV). This order comes as a crucial step in safeguarding the intellectual property rights of one of India’s most credible news broadcasters against large-scale online impersonation and trademark misuse.
Background
NDTV, established in 1988, has built a reputation as one of India’s most trusted news networks. Its trademark “NDTV”, officially recognised as a well-known mark by the Trademarks Registry in February 2025, is synonymous with credible journalism. The company recorded revenues of Rs 282 crore in FY 2024–25 and enjoys a strong global digital presence through its channels, website, and social media accounts.
In July 2025, NDTV discovered that several unknown entities were running websites, YouTube channels, Telegram groups, X (formerly Twitter) handles, and Facebook pages illegally using its mark. These platforms were misleading the public by masquerading as NDTV-affiliated, thereby diluting the broadcaster’s brand and credibility.
Court’s Findings
Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora observed that:
- NDTV had established a prima facie case of infringement and passing off.
- The defendants were indulging in unauthorised use of deceptively similar variants of NDTV’s mark to mislead the public.
- The balance of convenience was in favour of NDTV.
- Continued misuse of the NDTV mark would cause irreparable harm that monetary compensation could not remedy.
Infringing Platforms
NDTV’s counsel, Ms. Kripa Pandit, presented evidence showing widespread misuse of the NDTV trademark:
- Websites: Domains such as ndtvnews.com, ndtvhindu.com, ndtvforums.com, ndtvbd.com, ndtv24.in.
- YouTube: Over 35 channels impersonating NDTV.
- Telegram: 16 groups using NDTV’s name.
- X (Twitter): 121 handles masquerading as NDTV affiliates.
- Facebook: 86 pages/accounts falsely claiming association with NDTV.
These entities were not only infringing on NDTV’s trademark but also risking the spread of misinformation, damaging public trust in journalism.
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Court’s Directions
The Court issued strong interim measures to curb misuse of NDTV’s mark:
- Domain Registrars (including Dynadot, NameCheap, GoDaddy, BigRock, Sav.com) to lock and suspend 13 infringing domains and disclose registrant details.
- Google/YouTube to take down 35 infringing channels and share account information.
- Telegram to block 16 groups and disclose IP details.
- X Corp. to suspend 121 infringing handles.
- Meta (Facebook) to remove 86 fake pages/accounts.
- DoT & MeitY to direct ISPs to block access to the infringing websites.
Importantly, the Court also allowed NDTV to implead additional infringers in the future, ensuring that the injunction could automatically extend to newly discovered violations.
Appearance:
Plaintiff: Advocates Kripa Pandit, Prabhu Tandon, and Christopher Thomas.
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY): Central Government Standing Counsel (CGSC) Nidhi Raman with Advocate Om Ram
Other defendants: Advocates Yash Raj, Aishwarya Kane, Neel Mason, Udit Tewari, Nikhil Bharti, Madhav Khosla, Varun Pathak, Amee Rana, Akhil Shandilya, and Charu Sharma
Case Title:
New Delhi Television v. Ashok Kumar and ors
CS(COMM) 869/2025, I.A. 20320/2025, I.A. 20321/2025, I.A. 20322/2025 & I.A. 20323/2025
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