S.C. ISSUES NOTICE FOR REGULATING BODY OF OTT

S.C. ISSUES NOTICE FOR REGULATING BODY OF OTT

20TH OCTOBER 2020

The Supreme Court issued notice to the central government and the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IMAI) in a petition to form an autonomous body in order to regulate over-the-top (OTT) platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime 

The Hon'ble Bench of the Apex Court while hearing the PIL seeking directions to the government to constitute an autonomous body or a board to monitor and filter the content and also to regulate videos on various OTT platforms in India.

During the course of hearing the Petitioner contended that although 15 OTT platforms have signed a self-regulatory code, it was not in the same format as has been suggested by the central government. The Petitioner further contended thatSelf-regulatory mechanisms cannot work for OTTs. There is a need for a body to review the content uploaded on these platforms,

The Petitioner further contended that digital media platforms have given a way out to filmmakers to release their content without worrying about getting clearance certificates for their contents from the censor board