The publisher, City Publication, had copied only the cover art and title of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and then written a new version of the story.

The October 2 order restrains City Publication, its distributors and retailers from selling works in the Harry Potter series, infringing the copyright in the cover of the US and UK editions and infringing trade marks registered by Warner Bros.

Warner Bros, which produces the Harry Potter films, brought the case along with J K Rowling and Bloomsbury Publishing.

"It’s an example of a pirate evolving in their business and finding new ways to misuse IP," said Akash Chittranshi, who represented the plaintiffs.

The fake book was released on July 28, exactly one week after the genuine version. It used the original Harry Potter characters but had a completely different plot.

The next hearing will take place on December 18. Chittranshi told MIP Week that his clients would be seeking $50,000 in damages because City Publication has already been convicted of selling pirated copies of previous Harry Potter books.

The decision is part of a series of tough copyright decisions to come out of the Delhi High Court this year.

In March Rowling obtained an injunction that prohibited four sellers from marketing illegal electronic versions of her books. Rowling also sued eBay, which had been used by the sellers to distribute their books.

In April this year Cambridge University Press won two injunctions in New Delhi. The first prevented two publishers from photocopying CUP material and copying the CDs that accompany the books. The second prevented another publisher from copying CUP materials and claiming them as their own.