Watching pirated movies online not illegal, Indian court rules

Fret not Indians, merely viewing pirated movies online won’t land you in jail.

Amid confusion and panic among many in India, the Bombay High Court has ruled that it is not illegal to watch pirated content on the web. The ruling addresses a somewhat misleading notice posted by internet service providers in India last month which said that “viewing” copyright infringing content too is a punishable act under Indian law.

Justice Gautam Patel of the Bombay High Court ruled that only when a user distributes a copyright infringing content that he or she is committing an offense. "The offense is not in viewing, but in making a prejudicial distribution, a public exhibition or letting for sale or hire without appropriate permission copyright-protected material," he Read more...