Delhi High Court Orders Websites Copying Games24x7's RummyCircle to be Blocked

A John Doe order has been issued by the Delhi High Court against several websites that are said to have unlawfully copied the layout and content of RummyCircle, the online gaming platform run by Games24x7.  In order to resolve several infractions, including copyright, trademark infringement, misrepresentation, and the unauthorised use of the startup's founders' names on certain websites, Games24x7 filed a lawsuit.

What is John Doe Order?

Interestingly, a John Doe order is a court order that permits an individual or organisation to pursue action against an unnamed person or group. "John Doe" serves as a stand-in for the unidentified individual who is being accused of misconduct.

According to Games24X7's petition, some websites were using the bait-and-switch technique, which involves luring customers with a phoney RummyCircle page before rerouting them to unlawful gambling and casino websites.  Furthermore, it asserted that a number of domains were illegally promoting rival rummy platforms or illicit gambling websites by exploiting the RummyCircle trademark.

Creating Replicas of RummyCircle’s Website

In order to falsely identify themselves with RummyCircle, several of these websites also allegedly made nearly identical copies of the company's website, stealing its layout, content, and user reviews. According to the HC's verdict, Games24x7's rights were blatantly breached by the defendants, which were fraudulent websites. The defendants were ordered by the court to refrain from using the RummyCircle brand or anything similar in the titles of their websites, posts on social media, or other materials. In addition, it mandated that the infringing websites be shuttered and removed and stated that the defendants could not utilise the names of Games24x7's founders in any way. Due to the increasing threat of copyright and trademark infringement, courts have recently issued a number of these orders.

The Delhi High Court last month awarded ZED Entertainment a "Dynamic+" John Doe order to protect digital privacy. Without requiring repeated court approvals, this order allowed Zed to take action against websites that were unlawfully streaming its content, including TV series, films, and over-the-top (OTT) content.

Current Financial Dynamics of Games24x7

Games24X7, which was founded in 2006 by Bhavin Pandya and Trivikraman Thampy, provides games such as RummyCircle and My11Circle.  After raising $75 million in a funding round led by Malabar Investment in 2022, it became a unicorn. Among its supporters are Tiger Global and Raine Group.  The unicorn faces competition from teams like Dream11 and MPL. Games24X7's net loss decreased 29% to INR 199.60 Cr in FY23, while its consolidated income from operations increased 1.7X to INR 1,988.10 Cr.

CCI Sets Up Confidentiality Ring for Apple Antitrust Probe

The CCI establishes a confidentiality ring to expedite its antitrust investigation into Apple, ensuring secure handling of sensitive information during the probe.

StartupTalkyNitin Konde