Guwahati: The Central Government has issued a notice to social media platform Telegram over the alleged widespread circulation of pirated films and OTT content on its platform, directing the company to submit a report within 15 days detailing the measures it has taken to address the issue.
The move is aimed at safeguarding India's creator economy, including the interests of the film industry, broadcasters, OTT platforms, producers and distributors.
In its notice, the government called on Telegram to take effective steps to stop the widespread dissemination of pirated films, OTT content and other audio-visual material through its platform. Officials said the action reflects a shift in the government's approach from isolated takedowns of pirated content to holding digital platforms accountable for preventing copyright violations.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is understood to have informed Telegram that copyright infringement is not merely a civil offence but also a criminal offence under the Copyright Act, 1957, and the Cinematograph Act, 1952.
The Ministry made it clear that Telegram could no longer rely solely on removing individual piracy channels after they are identified by the authorities. Instead, the platform is expected to adopt proactive measures to prevent copyright violations and demonstrate due diligence, as required under the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
The notice follows the Centre's recent regulatory action against Meta. It also decided to summon Meta over allegations that advertisements promoting child sexual abuse material had appeared on Instagram.
The Ministry has additionally sought details of Telegram's grievance redressal mechanism for producers, OTT platforms and law enforcement agencies. Officials reiterated that, as an intermediary, Telegram is legally required to exercise due diligence and comply with its obligations under India's information technology laws.