Govt Tightens Anti-Piracy Drive; 4996 Telegram Channels, 1263 Websites Sharing Pirated Films Blocked

Hyderabad: The Government has stepped up its fight against online film piracy by strengthening the legal framework and taking action against websites and social media channels that share pirated movies. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) informed Parliament that intermediaries have been directed to disable 7,393 URLs linked to film piracy. These include 4,996 Telegram channels and 1,263 websites that were found to be hosting or sharing unauthorised copies of films.

The information was shared by Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs Dr L Murugan in a written reply to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha.

The Government said its anti-piracy efforts have become stronger after the Cinematograph (Amendment) Act, 2023 amended the Cinematograph Act, 1952. The amendment introduced specific provisions to stop the unauthorised recording and public exhibition of films. It also gives the Government the power to take action against online intermediaries that host or allow access to pirated film content under Section 79(3) of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000.

According to the Government, Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act allows the appropriate government to notify intermediaries and ask them to remove or block unlawful content. Under the Information Technology Rules, 2021, intermediaries must remove or disable access to content that violates the law after receiving a court order or a notice from the Government or its authorised agency.

The Ministry said it regularly receives complaints from copyright holders about pirated versions of films being shared online. Once such complaints are received, it issues notices to intermediaries, asking them to remove or block access to the infringing content as quickly as possible.

To make this process faster, the Government has authorised the Joint Secretary (Films) in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to issue takedown notices under both the Information Technology Rules, 2021 and the Cinematograph Act, 1952. The Ministry has also created a dedicated institutional mechanism to receive complaints from copyright owners and send notices to intermediaries for blocking access to pirated content.

The reply came after a Member of Parliament sought details on the Government’s action against platforms such as Telegram over the circulation of pirated films, OTT content and other audiovisual material. While the question also mentioned issues such as child sexual abuse material, fake job advertisements and cyber fraud, the Ministry’s response focused only on the steps taken to curb online film piracy.

The latest figures show the scale of the Government’s anti-piracy drive. By combining stronger laws with a dedicated enforcement system, the Centre aims to stop the illegal distribution of films online and provide better protection to filmmakers, producers and other copyright holders.