The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has issued a notice to Telegram, directing the messaging app to take corrective action against the alleged widespread dissemination of pirated films, OTT content, and other audio-visual material through its platform. The ministry has given Telegram 15 days to submit an action-taken report. The notice comes after the government had earlier acted against over 3,000 Telegram channels for pirated content, signaling a shift from previous piecemeal takedown to platform accountability.
The I&B ministry has asked Telegram to strengthen its systems for the detection, reporting, disabling of access to, and removal of pirated films and infringing audio-visual content. The ministry has also directed Telegram to act against repeat infringers, including channels, groups, bots, accounts, administrators, and associated entities. Additionally, Telegram has been asked to detail measures adopted to prevent, detect, and remove pirated content from the platform in its report.
The ministry has reminded Telegram that, as an intermediary, it is required to observe due diligence under the Information Technology Act and the Information Technology Rules. The ministry has stated that Telegram should not wait for the government to identify each piracy channel and emphasized that a purely reactive, channel-by-channel takedown approach may not be sufficient to demonstrate due diligence as required under the IT Act, 2000, and the IT Rules, 2021.
The I&B Ministry has underlined that copyright infringement is not just a civil violation but a criminal offence in India under the Copyright Act, 1957, and the Cinematograph Act, 1952. The ministry has warned that the continued availability of pirated content, evasive compliance, or an incomplete response may invite further examination and action under the legal framework.
According to officials, the action has been taken to protect India’s creator economy, film industry, broadcasters, OTT platforms, producers, and distributors.
