Telegram Faces Fresh Government Notice Over Pirated Movies and OTT Content Shared on Platform
- Snehal Pandey
- Jul 4
- 5 min read
The Indian government has issued a fresh notice to Telegram over the circulation of pirated movies and OTT content, directing the platform to strengthen anti-piracy measures and submit an Action Taken Report within 15 days. Authorities now want proactive moderation instead of relying only on complaint-based takedowns.
Telegrams is back in the radar of the Indian government; however, the new problem is the rampant spread of pirate movies and web series through the messaging platform. According to sources, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) has sent out a new notification to Telegram asking it to enhance its anti-piracy efforts rather than removing copyrighted content only after the complaint is made. In addition, the platform has been directed to file an Action Taken Report (ATR) within 15 days, listing the actions that it plans to take to reduce the piracy in digital space.
This development is clearly a new strategy of the government regarding copyright violation. In contrast to the previous strategy of taking down piracy websites and channels individually, the government now demands more from the platform in the prevention of copyright violations.
Government Pushes Telegram for Proactive Anti-Piracy Measures
As per officials who are well-acquainted with the subject, the letter asks Telegram to find and address cases of repeat offenders on its platform, which not only includes publicly accessible channels but also groups, bots, administrators, user profiles, and any other parties who may be repeatedly involved in the distribution of copyrighted material without permission.
In the words of the government, the current practice of taking down such content only when a complaint or a notice is received is now deemed to be inadequate. On the contrary, Telegram is supposed to work out methods that help them detect such violations and prevent them from occurring.
Such an initiative is in tune with the government’s larger objective of making online intermediaries responsible for the illegal actions taking place on their platforms.
Ministry Seeks Details of Telegram's Copyright Complaint Mechanism
In addition to this, the Ministry is also seeking extensive details about the grievance redressal mechanism of Telegram. This includes details on how copyright infringement complaints made by film producers, OTT platforms, broadcasting channels, content creators, and law enforcement agencies are dealt with.
The authorities are interested in knowing how the complaints are received, investigated, and redressed. In addition to this, the government also wants to know whether adequate measures are taken by Telegram in dealing with the copyright infringement complaints and whether repeat offenders are being penalized appropriately.
It is being noted here that violation of copyright is not only civil in nature. In case of serious violations, the violation can also lead to criminal liability under the provisions of Copyright Act, 1957, and Cinematograph Act, 1952. It has been reported that failure to address the notice in time may make Telegram liable under the existing legal framework in India.
Shift From Individual Takedowns to Platform-Level Accountability
The newest notice follows actions that were taken against more than 3,000 Telegram channels suspected of distributing pirate copies of films, TV series, and OTT content. Whereas earlier measures mostly involved blocking the infringing channels individually, the new position of the government means that platform-wide responsibility is now getting its turn.
Rather than having to block thousands of channels again following complaints about them, regulators seem to be asking for Telegram to develop the necessary tools that will identify such piracy networks in advance.
This is just one example of a worldwide trend of governments demanding from technology platforms that they implement proactive moderation systems instead of waiting for complaints from users.
Second Government Notice Within a Week
However, this is not the first time that Telegram has been served a notice by the Indian government in a span of just one week.
According to reports, MeitY had previously sent notices to Telegram, WhatsApp, and Signal related to the problems associated with their Username features. Although the previous notice had highlighted another problem, the recent notice reflects how much attention the government is now paying to such messaging apps.
The back-to-back notices indicate that the regulatory authorities are being extra cautious about how digital communication apps handle features like these.
Telegram Recently Faced Restrictions During NEET 2026 Re-Examination
Telegram also faced temporary restrictions in India last month in connection with the issues arising due to the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination.
During the period between June 16 and June 22, access to the messaging app was blocked after allegations emerged that leaked copies of the examination papers were being shared via Telegram channels. At the same time, the government also instructed Telegram to temporarily disable the edit messages feature till June 30, as recommended by the National Testing Agency (NTA) that was administering the examination.
The above instances revealed that the government had no qualms about interfering directly in cases where features of the platforms were found to be facilitating the circulation of sensitive content.
Government Aims to Protect India's Entertainment Industry
According to authorities, the current notice serves mainly to protect the increasingly developed entertainment environment in India that includes film studios, broadcasters, OTT services, independent producers, and other copyright owners that still face financial losses because of online piracy.
Illegal copies of the newest movies and web series often emerge on messaging services shortly after their release date, impacting legitimate audiences and subscription fees. It is believed that introducing preventive actions for intermediaries will minimize the piracy problem.
Instead of having the copyright owners constantly making takedown notices, the government expects the platforms to develop systems that will detect and block the copyright infringement continuously.
Greater Responsibility Under India's IT Rules
Furthermore, the notice is a clear reflection of the expectations of the government under the Information Technology Act, 2000, as well as the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
Under these rules, intermediaries are supposed to take necessary precautions when handling any illegal content posted on their website. It is assumed that repeated distribution of the pirated material shows lack of necessary caution especially since the violation has been seen before in other cases.
With increased regulation of digital platforms in India, companies like Telegram are becoming more and more obliged to show their compliance and proper management of their content.
Telegram has 15 days to file an Action Taken Report regarding the steps it intends to take to address online piracy. This will give insight into the next course of action which the Indian government may pursue, especially if the current level of security measures in place at Telegram is found inadequate.
In light of the regulatory approach towards the proactive measures on the part of the intermediaries as opposed to takedowns, the resolution of the notice may have far-reaching implications on the way copyright infringement issues will be addressed by the messaging platforms in India moving forward.
Comments