Can sports formats be protected by copyright law?

On the 19^th of January, 2022, the High Court of Delhi provisionally ruled upon a claim of copyright, vis a vis a specific T20 format of cricket. While the case (Samir Kasal v Prashant Mehta & Ors.)[1] is reserved for a completion of pleadings in late April 2022, this provisional order of the Court could prove crucial for future adaptations of T20 cricket in India. 

This article relays the factual background of the case, the arguments of the parties and the Court’s preliminary rulings against protection of sports format through copyright, and examines whether sports formats can be protected through intellectual property.