The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has asked Telegram to enhance its systems for detecting and removing pirated films and OTT content and submit an Action Taken Report within 15 days.
The platform has been directed to take action against repeat infringers, including channels, groups, bots, accounts, administrators and related entities involved in copyright violations.
The notice signals a shift from individual takedown requests to holding intermediaries accountable for preventing piracy, while reminding Telegram of its due diligence obligations under the IT Act and IT Rules.
Centre Cracks Down on Telegram Over Pirated Movies, OTT Content
The Centre has directed Telegram to strengthen its anti-piracy systems and submit an action taken report within 15 days
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Summary
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The Centre has issued a notice to messaging platform Telegram, directing it to strengthen measures against the circulation of pirated films, OTT content and other copyrighted audio-visual material on its platform, The Hindustan Times reported.
The Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry has asked Telegram to respond within 15 days with an Action Taken Report detailing the steps it has taken to detect, prevent and remove infringing content.
The move is aimed at protecting India's creator economy, film industry, broadcasters, OTT platforms, producers and distributors from online piracy.
Centre Seeks Stronger Anti-Piracy Measures
According to the ministry's notice, Telegram has been instructed to enhance its systems for detecting, reporting, disabling access to and removing pirated content.
The platform has also been directed to take action against repeat offenders, including channels, groups, bots, user accounts, administrators and other associated entities involved in copyright violations.
In addition, Telegram has been asked to provide details of its grievance redressal mechanism available to content producers, OTT platforms and law-enforcement agencies.
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Shift Towards Platform Accountability
The notice signals a broader shift in the government's approach to tackling online piracy, moving beyond individual takedown requests towards holding digital platforms accountable for preventing the spread of infringing material.
The ministry noted that it had previously acted against more than 3,000 Telegram channels that were allegedly distributing pirated content.
It also reminded the platform that, as an intermediary, it is required to comply with the due diligence obligations laid down under the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
The notice stated that relying solely on a reactive, channel-by-channel takedown process may not satisfy the due diligence requirements prescribed under Indian law.
The ministry further emphasised that copyright infringement is not merely a civil matter but also constitutes a criminal offence under the Copyright Act, 1957, and the Cinematograph Act, 1952.
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Telegram's Earlier Run-In
The latest notice comes months after Telegram faced a temporary government-imposed block ahead of the NEET-UG re-examination conducted on June 21.
The restriction followed concerns that the platform could be used to facilitate the circulation of leaked examination material after the original test was cancelled over an alleged paper leak.
Widely used by students to exchange study material, Telegram's temporary suspension was challenged before the Delhi High Court.
On June 19, the court upheld the government's decision to block access to the platform for six days before the re-examination, citing concerns over maintaining the integrity of the entrance test.