I&B Ministry: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) ministry has issued an official notice to the messaging application Telegram based out of Dubai regarding the rampant distribution of copyrighted movies and OTT streaming content. The Authorities have made it clear that the platform has been allotted a strict 15 day time period in which to completely revise their safety mechanisms and come up with an Action Taken Report (ATR) regarding the measures being taken to shut down all piracy activities on the platform. This is a major step forward in the Indian Government's efforts towards dealing with digital copyright infringement, shifting focus away from the periodic listing of items towards absolute platform accountability.
It was made clear to the authorities that the government would no longer be satisfied with just taking action through the platform's channels. Telegram would have to employ the use of AI and keywords in order to intercept any uploads that could possibly be deemed illegal before they were made. This bold move by the government will work to protect India's rapidly growing creator economy.
What the Government Mandates Under the 15-Day Ultimatum
According to the report above, the Ministry has requested Telegram to state the following structural changes that will be implemented immediately:
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Prohibiting Repeated Offenders: Introduce strict measures of permanently banning repeated offenders when it comes to copyright infringement, which involve channel administrators, creators of content, bots, linked accounts, and complete network clusters.
Grievance Redressal Mechanism: Offer an internal mechanism whereby the producers of films and national broadcasters, as well as the OTT platform operators, can report any leaks.
Structural Change To Ensure Proactive Detection: Mention structural change that helps in stopping the uploading of copyrighted audio visual materials.
