New Delhi: The government has initiated measures against 18 OTT platforms for breaching content guidelines, as stated by Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, L Murugan, in the Rajya Sabha on Friday. Addressing concerns from members about digital piracy on OTT platforms, Murugan emphasized that protocols are established to monitor the “OTT materials.”
The minister also mentioned that the government has limited authority over verifying age-appropriate content on OTT platforms, which is why self-certification has been introduced. Content classification now relies on parental guidance and self-certification.
Regarding cinema hall piracy, the minister highlighted the recent amendment to the Cinema Amendment Act 2023 aimed at protecting producers from piracy. A nodal officer has been appointed in the central film certification office to address grievances. Cinema theatre piracy, which results in unauthorized reproduction of copyrighted content, has been causing an annual loss of Rs 20,000 crore to the movie and OTT industries.
For OTT piracy, the IT rules of 2021 address copyright and trademark infringement. The ethics code includes a three-tier mechanism for dealing with such issues, Murugan added.
