If the report is not submitted within the stipulated time, the government may consider further action under the existing legal provisions.
Telegram receives 15-day ultimatum to remove pirated films: The central government has taken major action against the messaging platform Telegram. The government issued a notice to Telegram and directed it to immediately remove pirated movies and OTT content. Also asked for an action report to be submitted within 15 days.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has given clear instructions to Telegram to develop a robust mechanism to identify, report, block access to, and remove pirated films and copyright-infringing audio-video content on its platform. The government has made it clear that it will not be enough to simply remove content upon receiving a complaint, but the platform itself will have to take effective action. The government wants to know how filmmakers, OTT platforms, broadcasters and law enforcement agencies can file complaints about pirated content and how quickly those complaints are acted upon.
The government has also asked Telegram to take strict action against users and networks that repeatedly share pirated content. It includes not only personal accounts but also channels, groups, bots, admins and many networks associated with them. If the report is not submitted within the stipulated time, the government may consider further action under the existing legal provisions.
The government also said that the move is aimed at protecting the interests of India’s fast-growing creator economy, film industry, OTT platforms, broadcasters, filmmakers and distributors. If pirated content is easily available on digital platforms, it will not only cause financial loss to the content creators but also directly affect the industry.
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