HT Media Ltd Vs . Pooja Sharma

HT Media Ltd, owner of well-known trademarks like HINDUSTAN TIMES, HT, and associated logos since 1924 with extensive media presence, filed a 2022 suit against Pooja Sharma and unknown defendants for trademark infringement, passing off, and unfair competition through fraudulent domains such as htmediajobs.com imitating their official site and content to deceive the public into paying for fake job opportunities, advertisements, or services into unrelated bank accounts. As part of a batch of suits tackling cyber fraud via anonymous infringing domains with privacy protections, proceedings from 2022-2025 included ex-parte interim injunctions under I.A. 612/2022 suspending domains and extended, impleading DNRs like GoDaddy, registries like Verisign, entities including ICANN, MeitY, DoT, MHA, RBI, NPCI, IBA, NIXI, Delhi Police, Bharti Airtel; hearings gathered affidavits, investigation status reports with FIRs and chargesheets, CEIB SOPs in May 2024 for bank-LEA collaboration, RBI's December 2024 beneficiary name lookup mandate, grievance officer designations, and consultations; judgment reserved May 31, 2025. The court reasoned that domain names embody the online identity of businesses requiring protection from goodwill dilution and consumer fraud; dissected the ICANN framework imposing verification, anti-abuse, disclosure, and compliance obligations on DNRs and registries; highlighted gaps in KYC processes, default privacy aiding anonymity and fraud, due diligence shortcomings endangering IT Act s.79 safe harbour, and the need to balance privacy under DPDP Act with third-party rights; underscored dynamic/dynamic+ injunctions against rogue domains and non-compliance meriting IT Act s.69A blocks due to public order threats from pervasive scams; addressed payment discrepancies and enforcement aids. The court issued directives to DNRs/registries for opt-in privacy only, 72-hour disclosures, permanent blocks, prohibitions on alternatives for well-known marks, local grievance officers, e-KYC verifications, TMCH implementation, data sharing; to government for unified frameworks, nodal repositories, TMCH facilitation, lists of well-known marks/sites; parameters for dynamic+ injunctions covering variations; to banks for name lookup and SOP adherence; granted summary judgment under Order XIII-A CPC/IPD Rules r.27 with permanent/dynamic+ injunction restraining infringement/passing off, compulsory permanent blocks/takedowns by registries/DNRs/DoT/MeitY/ISPs/search engines, domain transfers upon payment, complete disclosures, no damages sought, disposing applications.

- Domain Name Registrars (DNRs) and Registry Operators are obligated under ICANN agreements to verify registrant details, investigate inaccuracies/abuse, provide WHOIS/RDDS access, comply with court orders, and prevent registrations violating third-party rights, with failure risking termination or safe harbour loss under IT Act s.79: HT Media Ltd v. Pooja Sharma & Ors., CS(COMM) 26/2022 (High Court of Delhi, December 24, 2025), Paras 261-262, 272.

- Privacy protect shall not be default/opt-out; offered only on opt-in as paid value-added service separate from registration package: HT Media Ltd v. Pooja Sharma & Ors., CS(COMM) 26/2022 (High Court of Delhi, December 24, 2025), Para 277(A)(i).

- DNRs must disclose specified registrant/admin/tech/payment/hosting details to legitimate interests/LEAs/courts within 72 hours under Intermediary Guidelines 2021: HT Media Ltd v. Pooja Sharma & Ors., CS(COMM) 26/2022 (High Court of Delhi, December 24, 2025), Para 277(A)(ii).

- Infringing domains adjudged illegitimate shall be permanently blocked by registries/DNRs, not re-registered or pooled: HT Media Ltd v. Pooja Sharma & Ors., CS(COMM) 26/2022 (High Court of Delhi, December 24, 2025), Para 277(A)(iii).

- For well-known/invented marks with reputation in India, injunctions bar alternative domains/extensions/mirrors/alphanumerics: HT Media Ltd v. Pooja Sharma & Ors., CS(COMM) 26/2022 (High Court of Delhi, December 24, 2025), Para 277(A)(iv).

- DNRs shall not promote/suggest alternatives to injuncted domains, else lose safe harbour: HT Media Ltd v. Pooja Sharma & Ors., CS(COMM) 26/2022 (High Court of Delhi, December 24, 2025), Para 277(A)(v).

- For descriptive/generic marks, injunctions specific but extendable via Joint Registrar intervention: HT Media Ltd v. Pooja Sharma & Ors., CS(COMM) 26/2022 (High Court of Delhi, December 24, 2025), Para 277(A)(vi).

- Injuncted domains transferable to TM owner on usual charges: HT Media Ltd v. Pooja Sharma & Ors., CS(COMM) 26/2022 (High Court of Delhi, December 24, 2025), Para 277(A)(vii).

- No promotion/optimization services by search engines/DNRs to infringing domains: HT Media Ltd v. Pooja Sharma & Ors., CS(COMM) 26/2022 (High Court of Delhi, December 24, 2025), Para 277(A)(viii).

- All DNRs in India to appoint local Grievance Officers within one month, publish contacts: HT Media Ltd v. Pooja Sharma & Ors., CS(COMM) 26/2022 (High Court of Delhi, December 24, 2025), Para 277(A)(ix).

- Email service on Grievance Officer sufficient; insistence on MLAT/other modes deems non-compliant: HT Media Ltd v. Pooja Sharma & Ors., CS(COMM) 26/2022 (High Court of Delhi, December 24, 2025), Para 277(A)(x).

- Courts may direct MeitY/DoT to block non-compliant DNRs/services under IT Act s.69A for public order: HT Media Ltd v. Pooja Sharma & Ors., CS(COMM) 26/2022 (High Court of Delhi, December 24, 2025), Paras 277(A)(xi), (B)(c).

- Registries to implement Trademark Clearinghouse for all brands: HT Media Ltd v. Pooja Sharma & Ors., CS(COMM) 26/2022 (High Court of Delhi, December 24, 2025), Para 277(A)(xii).

- DNRs in India to verify registrant details via e-KYC per CERT-In circular, periodically: HT Media Ltd v. Pooja Sharma & Ors., CS(COMM) 26/2022 (High Court of Delhi, December 24, 2025), Para 277(A)(xiii).

- DNRs under NIXI to provide registration data monthly: HT Media Ltd v. Pooja Sharma & Ors., CS(COMM) 26/2022 (High Court of Delhi, December 24, 2025), Para 277(A)(xiv).

- Government to consult on NIXI-like framework, nominate nodal data repository, enable TMCH, publish well-known marks/websites list: HT Media Ltd v. Pooja Sharma & Ors., CS(COMM) 26/2022 (High Court of Delhi, December 24, 2025), Para 277(B), (xvi).

- Dynamic+ injunction applies to exact marks, prefix/suffix/alphanumeric variations; legitimate registrants may seek court order: HT Media Ltd v. Pooja Sharma & Ors., CS(COMM) 26/2022 (High Court of Delhi, December 24, 2025), Para 277(C)(xvii).

- Banks to mandatorily implement Beneficiary Name Lookup per RBI circular and abide by CEIB SOP for LEAs: HT Media Ltd v. Pooja Sharma & Ors., CS(COMM) 26/2022 (High Court of Delhi, December 24, 2025), Para 277(D).

Case Title: HT Media Ltd Vs . Pooja Sharma & Ors.  

Order date: 24th December, 2025  

Case Number: CS (COMM) 26/2022 & I.As.612/2022  

Neutral Citation: N/A  

Name of court: High Court of Delhi at New Delhi  

Name of Judge: Justice Prathiba M. Singh  

[Readers are advised not to treat this as substitute for legal advise as it may contain errors in perception, interpretation, and presentation]  

[Written By: Advocate Ajay Amitabh Suman, IP Adjutor [Patent and Trademark Attorney], High Court of Delhi]