Cinematograph (Amendment) Act and IT Framework Strengthen Anti-Piracy Enforcement; 7,393 URLs, including 4,996 Telegram Channels and 1,263 Websites, Disabled

The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting reports that the Cinematograph (Amendment) Act, 2023 introduced Section 7(1B)(ii), enabling the Government, under Section 79(3) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, to act against intermediaries hosting pirated films. Under the Information Technology Rules, 2021, intermediaries must remove unlawful content upon notice from the Government or a court. The Ministry, through the Joint Secretary (Films), has issued takedown notices and established a mechanism to receive complaints from copyright holders, resulting in the disabling of 7,393 URLs—including 1,263 websites and 4,996 Telegram channels—used for film piracy. The information was provided by the Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Dr. L. Murugan, in response to a Lok Sabha question.