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Tag: FIR

  • Disney Star registers FIR against piracy group Tamil Rockers, Tamil MV, Tamil Blasters and Pikashow

    Disney Star registers FIR against piracy group Tamil Rockers, Tamil MV, Tamil Blasters and Pikashow

    Mumbai: Disney Star has registered a FIR (First Information Report) against piracy groups Tamil Rockers, Tamil MV, Tamil Blasters and Pikashow on Wednesday at the Bengaluru cyber cell.

    The case has been registered under Information Technology Act 2008 under Section 66, Copyright Act 1957 under Section 63 and 65 and IPC (Indian Penal Code) 1860 under Section 420 against R Kumaravel and R Radhakrishnan. As per the report accessed by Indiantelevision.com, R Kumaravel resides in the Yelahanka suburb of Bengaluru city.  

    While Tamil Rockers, Tamil Blasters and Tamil MV are illegal piracy websites, Pikashow is a third party standalone mobile application that facilitates the free access to content from all major broadcasters and OTT platforms. It has over 12 million downloads.

    Disney Star noticed that its Hotstar Specials such as Rudra: The Edge of Darkness, Bigg Boss Ultimate (Tamil), Human, Parampara, Escaype Live and Anupama: Namaste America, its movie library such as “Tadap”, “Kaun Pravin Tambe”, “Atrange Re”, “Hum Do Humare Do”, “Sanak”, “Badhaai Do”, “12th Man”, “Taanakkaran”, “Maaran”, “Bheemla Nayak” and “Bheeshma Parvam” were being leaked by these piracy groups. Its linear TV content from channels Star Plus, Star Gold, Star World and Star Sports was made available on the Pikashow app. The company tried to register a case with the Tamil Nadu cyber cell unsuccessfully for three months finally taking the decision to file the report with Bengaluru cyber cell.

    The piracy group sources their content directly from theatre/OTT platforms and releases it on the internet. They distribute content through torrent, third party cyberlockers, user-generated platforms and offshore servers.

    The group initially focused on leaking content in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam but of late they’ve expanded their rogue operations to include other languages such as Hindi. The cumulative traffic on these websites is estimated to be 64 million. Theatrical movies and OTT content are the biggest victim of such piracy groups. All theatrical releases are made available on these illegal websites within 24 hours of release. They are able to create new mirror domains to avoid internet service provider (ISP) blocking.

    In March last year, an investigation by the crime branch of Faridabad revealed the operations of Boss IPTV that was distributing illegal set-top-boxes (STBs) through various vendors after a police complaint was filed by live TV platform Yupp TV. The company was allegedly stealing TV signals from various Indian and international broadcasters & offering them via its platform.

    As major media companies increase their presence on the internet as a means to distribute its content, the crackdown on illegal piracy groups continues.

  • Dream11 halts operations in Karnataka after FIR against founders

    Dream11 halts operations in Karnataka after FIR against founders

    Mumbai: Online sports platform Dream11 has suspended Karnataka operations of its gaming app Dream11 after its directors were booked under the amended Karnataka Police Act, which seeks to ban online gaming. 

    Following the filing of a first information report (FIR) against its founders in Bengaluru under the state’s newly legislated Karnataka Police (Amendment) Act 2021, the homegrown sports tech company said in a statement on Sunday, “Following the recent media coverage, our Karnataka users have expressed deep concerns and anxiety for their safety and security. In order to allay our users’ concerns, we have decided to suspend operations in Karnataka.”

    The Karnataka Police Act recently amended its gaming law to prohibit online gambling, betting, and wagering. On Saturday, the Bengaluru Police filed an FIR against Dream11 founders Harsh Jain and Bhavit Sheth subsequent to a complaint that the Mumbai-based firm had continued to offer gaming services on its platform a week after the state government notified the new rules disallowing what it termed as “games of chance.”

    Dream11 said that the complaint was “motivated” and it is examining legal remedies. 

    With this, the online gaming platform has joined the likes of Mobile Premier League (MPL), Paytm First Games, Games24X7, and others, which have deactivated their platform for users in Karnataka.

    Dream11, however, continues to maintain that it is compliant with all the laws. “We have been advised by the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS), who have shared an opinion from a former Supreme Court Judge, stating that the Karnataka Police (Amendment) Act 2021 does not apply to its member Fantasy Sports Operators. This is because the FIFS format of fantasy sports has been upheld by the honourble courts of India as not amounting to gambling, betting, or wagering,” said the company in a statement.

    Karnataka’s new law, which came into effect on 5 October, bans online games that are “games of chance” in nature. It makes operation, abetting, or sheltering of online games involving the exchange of money, betting, and wagering “cognisable and non-bailable offence.”

    The move comes at a time when the Indian Premier League (IPL) is underway and the T20 Cricket World Cup is slated to start later this month. These sporting events are crucial for the gaming platforms to drive engagement and acquire new users in what’s a competitive industry.

    The Dream11 platform allows users to play fantasy cricket, hockey, football, kabaddi, and basketball on its app. The firm became the first Indian gaming company to enter the unicorn club in April 2019 after an investment took its valuation at over $ one billion.

  • Police nab four in piracy case registered by IndiaCast

    Police nab four in piracy case registered by IndiaCast

    Mumbai: IndiaCast, through its anti-piracy agency Kamakhya, has registered four First Information Reports (FIRs) at different police stations against the owners of Narnaul Cable Services and Faulad Cable including their operators located in the areas of Bhivadi, Rajasthan.

    IndiaCast is a multi-platform content asset monetisation entity jointly owned by TV18 Broadcast Ltd, and Viacom18 Media Private Ltd. It is involved in India distribution, placement services, global channel distribution and advertising sales, digital media distribution, and content syndication for all the group company channels and content.

    It initiated the complaint about unlawful and unauthorised dissemination of TV18 and Viacom18 channels in these areas. The complaints have been lodged under Copyright Act 1957 and the Indian Penal Code 1860.

    “The police authorities have proactively responded to the complaint and conducted more than six raids at different locations” said the company in a statement. 

    The police have seized equipment like transmitters and nodes used in the retransmission of signals of various channels in unauthorised areas for public consumption. Following the complaint, police have already arrested four accused in the matter. The accused were denied bail and sent to judicial custody for five days.

    “We are grateful to the police officials of Bhivadi for their quick and timely intervention in this endeavour to combat piracy. Pirated content is a growing concern for the media industry as it directly affects not only the broadcaster revenues but also devalues the work put in by the entire content supply chain. IndiaCast along with Viacom18 and the TV18 network will continue to fight market threats associated with piracy and will protect their channel’s content using all legal methods available,” said IndiaCast in a statement.

    Recently, Viacom18 had registered an FIR against Thop TV in Maharashtra State Cyber Cell. “Thop TV is alleged to offering pirated broadcast and OTT content to millions of online viewers at discounted prices, which is causing substantial revenue loss to the network. The Maharashtra Cyber Cell has proactively acted on the FIR and arrested the founder and CEO of Thop TV,” it added. 

  • Charge sheet filed against seven for manipulating BARC viewership data

    Charge sheet filed against seven for manipulating BARC viewership data

    MUMBAI: In a first, a charge sheet is filed against seven accused in Hyderabad for allegedly manipulating BARC viewership data to benefit two Telugu news channels.

    The cases were registered against the accused after BARC filed FIR at West Marredpally Police Station, Hyderabad. The accused were connected with two news channels in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana region.

    BARC has, in the past, taken tough action against those involved in TV ratings (TRP) manipulation in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Assam in 2018-2019, but this is the first time that a charge sheet has been filed in such a case.

    During the investigation, the police took a note of influencing and tampering the viewership of BARC household where meters are installed which is used to capture and report TV ratings and thereby causing losses to the TV industry. The charge sheet was filed on Monday which prima facie makes out a case against the accused, BARC said in a statement.

    The accused have been booked under Sec 406, Sec 420 r/w and Sec 34 of IPC. 

    Advertising is a major source of revenue for the TV industry and TV viewership data (TRP ratings) provided by BARC India acts as the currency for advertisers. Hence some channels with vested interest use these means to boost their ratings.

    To deal with such cases of data manipulation, BARC India has upped its vigilance drive in July with stronger counter-measures to protect the system from Panel Tampering and other unfair practices with respect to manipulation of television viewership.

    In March 2017, BARC had set up an independent Disciplinary Committee (DisComm) to probe complaints of viewership malpractice. Over the course of last 28 months, 18 cases have been referred to the DisComm with evidence of such malpractices.  

    The highest number of instances have been reported from markets in South India: 6 from Tamil Nadu, 5 from AP/Telangana and 1 from Karnataka. Penal action has been taken against 12 channels in the country. It may be recalled that FIRs were filed in Telangana and arrests have been made in Karnataka and Gwalior. 

    The DisComm is headed by Justice Mukul Mudgal, former Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court, and has representation of all three industry bodies Indian Broadcasting Federation (IBF), Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) and Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI). The committee also comprises of D. Shivanandan, former Mumbai Police Commissioner and Maharashtra DGP, and Paritosh Joshi, independent technical expert. 

    BARC India is also evangelizing initiatives like Sample Return Path Data (SRPD), which will not only make the viewership data more robust but will also help address the issue of panel home tampering. BARC India also has a strict code of conduct for redressing viewership malpractices that is undertaken by all entities subscribing to BARC India’s weekly service.  

    BARC India has also engaged with TRAI and Ministry of Information & Broadcasting to get regulatory support and legal provisions to make panel tampering a punishable offence. BARC India and several industry members have made the point in TRAI’s Consultation Paper on TV viewership measurement. 

  • NBA writes to Kerala CM following FIR against Mathrubhumi News

    NBA writes to Kerala CM following FIR against Mathrubhumi News

    MUMBAI: The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) has come out in support of Malayalam news channel Mathrubhumi News that has been dragged into a controversy regarding a news item it aired on 7 June.

    Recently, a case was registered against the deputy editor Venu Balakrishnan and the anchor of the show Super Prime Time for initiating a discussion regarding the torture of a young Muslim by the police and the ruckus in the state assembly following police atrocities.

    The FIR was filed following a complaint filed by local leaders of DYFI, the youth wing of the ruling CPI (M), under Section 153 A of IPC.

    NBA president Rajat Sharma shot off a letter to Kerala chief minister stating, “It is understood that the opening sentences of the anchor’s comment was taken out of context and a case foisted against him. While the NBA maintains that no individual or institution is above the law, it condemns any attempt to muzzle the media and causing any interference in the free functioning of news operations.”

    NBA considers that police action against the anchor, based on the FIR is unacceptable and an attack on the freedom of the press. “We request you and the state administration to ensure that journalists and media persons are allowed to perform their duties in a free and fearless manner. Such a move also undermines the basic tenets of free speech enshrined in the constitution of India,” Sharma added.

    He also added that the media provides a service that is essential for any democratic society and keeps the public informed and hence must be protected by the law enforcing agencies.

  • FIR registered against Sudarshan TV channel

    MUMBAI: An FIR has been registered against the chief managing director (CMD) and editor-in-chief of Sudarshan news channel for allegedly instigating enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion. Sudarshan News, a satellite TV channel launched on 26 January 2007, is a Hindi news channel based in Uttar Pradesh. Suresh Chavhanke is the chairman, managing director and also the editor-in-chief.

    Sudarshan TV is among the list of channels which has applied to  the ministry of information and broadcasting for approval of two more channels.

    The FIR has been lodged under various sections of IPC including those dealing with promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth and over content to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public, or to any section of the public and other sections, Sambhal (Uttar Pradesh) police station SHO Brijmohan Giri told PTI.

    Giri said that provisions related to intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion, deliberate and malicious acts, and Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Act, 2000, have also been invoked, he said. It was alleged that the channel had telecast a programme in which Chavhanke mentioned objectionable content because of which tension prevailed in the city.

    The FIR was registered when the matter was raised during a meeting of the Peace Committee on 9 April, in which prominent citizens pointed to the programme aired between 6 April and 8 April.

    When contacted by PTI, the channel said that it condemned any attempt to suppress and intimidate the media. A statement issued by Chavhanke stated that they condemned any act to suppress and the intimidate the media. To protest against that, he would be reaching Sambhal on 13 April.

    Also Read:

    Zee, Bennett, Discovery, Disney, NDTV, Viacom 18, BBC & Raj TV among 112 channels awaiting clearance

     

  • Non-bailable FIR by Mamata Banerjee against Zee News & Sudhir Chaudhary

    Non-bailable FIR by Mamata Banerjee against Zee News & Sudhir Chaudhary

    MUMBAI: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has filed a non-bailable FIR against Zee News and its reporter Sudhir Chaudhary for daring to openly air the communal rampage which took place in her backyard.

    Chaudhary wrote on Facebook: “Just to inform all of you Mamta Banerjee Govt has filed an FIR against me and Zee News reporter Pooja Mehta and cameraperson Tanmay Mukherjee for covering Dhulagarh Riots on Zee News. The FIR has non-bailable sections which is enough to gauge their intentions to arrest me and my colleagues. Pooja Mehta is just 25 and got the taste of Mamta’s intolerance so early in life in the form of a non bailable FIR.

    The message goes on to say: “This is what a young girl reporter is getting to learn from a woman Chief Minister who claims to be the champion of democracy. It’s another low point in our democracy to see a democratically elected government using police force to curb media in an effort to suppress uncomfortable facts and reality. When you can’t manage media, use the state machinery to conquer the media only to conceal the failures of your administration. It shows the intolerance of a chief minister who is using the state machinery as her personal fiefdom and acting like a feudal lord. I see the positive side of this blunder as a window for all free minds of this nation to act and show fascist forces their actual place. Or will once again Selfish Politics prevail? That’s my fear. #IntolerantMamta”

    A few days ago Dhulagarh in Howrah district of West Bengal, located some 30 odd kilometers from the state’s capital was rocked by communal violence. While Hindus of the town were busy with Margashirsha Poornima festivities on 13 December, the Muslims formed a procession, blaring loud music, ostensibly claiming to celebrate Milad-un-Nabi, which actually fell the day before and was a public holiday. A simple request by Hindus to lower the volume of the loudspeakers provoked the Muslims into a frenzy of riot and arson. Hindu homes and shops were set ablaze and scores of Hindus were forced to flee. Locals reported that the Muslims who rioted at Dhulagarh were not locals but had come from outside specifically with the purpose of ousting Hindus. As per news reports, the police party sent to put an end to the riot was stopped by the rioters and bombs were hurled at it.

    This is not the first case in recent times of a TV channel getting the axe for reporting the truth. Earlier, it was NDTV India faced a one-day black-out imposed by the Union Government for airing content regarding Pathankot strike that it felt could have aided the terrorists and imperiled the lives of security men and their families.

  • Non-bailable FIR by Mamata Banerjee against Zee News & Sudhir Chaudhary

    Non-bailable FIR by Mamata Banerjee against Zee News & Sudhir Chaudhary

    MUMBAI: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has filed a non-bailable FIR against Zee News and its reporter Sudhir Chaudhary for daring to openly air the communal rampage which took place in her backyard.

    Chaudhary wrote on Facebook: “Just to inform all of you Mamta Banerjee Govt has filed an FIR against me and Zee News reporter Pooja Mehta and cameraperson Tanmay Mukherjee for covering Dhulagarh Riots on Zee News. The FIR has non-bailable sections which is enough to gauge their intentions to arrest me and my colleagues. Pooja Mehta is just 25 and got the taste of Mamta’s intolerance so early in life in the form of a non bailable FIR.

    The message goes on to say: “This is what a young girl reporter is getting to learn from a woman Chief Minister who claims to be the champion of democracy. It’s another low point in our democracy to see a democratically elected government using police force to curb media in an effort to suppress uncomfortable facts and reality. When you can’t manage media, use the state machinery to conquer the media only to conceal the failures of your administration. It shows the intolerance of a chief minister who is using the state machinery as her personal fiefdom and acting like a feudal lord. I see the positive side of this blunder as a window for all free minds of this nation to act and show fascist forces their actual place. Or will once again Selfish Politics prevail? That’s my fear. #IntolerantMamta”

    A few days ago Dhulagarh in Howrah district of West Bengal, located some 30 odd kilometers from the state’s capital was rocked by communal violence. While Hindus of the town were busy with Margashirsha Poornima festivities on 13 December, the Muslims formed a procession, blaring loud music, ostensibly claiming to celebrate Milad-un-Nabi, which actually fell the day before and was a public holiday. A simple request by Hindus to lower the volume of the loudspeakers provoked the Muslims into a frenzy of riot and arson. Hindu homes and shops were set ablaze and scores of Hindus were forced to flee. Locals reported that the Muslims who rioted at Dhulagarh were not locals but had come from outside specifically with the purpose of ousting Hindus. As per news reports, the police party sent to put an end to the riot was stopped by the rioters and bombs were hurled at it.

    This is not the first case in recent times of a TV channel getting the axe for reporting the truth. Earlier, it was NDTV India faced a one-day black-out imposed by the Union Government for airing content regarding Pathankot strike that it felt could have aided the terrorists and imperiled the lives of security men and their families.

  • Hathway files FIRs against illegal disruption in Pune

    Hathway files FIRs against illegal disruption in Pune

    MUMBAI: One the leading MSOs in India,  Hathway Cable & Datacom Limited, undertook stringent action against recent disruption of its services in Pune by lodging three FIRs in multiple police stations across the city.

    In a series of incidents recently, fibre optic cables of Hathway provided by Tata tele-services were cut at multiple locations in the city by unknown parties leading to disruption of Hathway services and causing inconvenience to several Hathway customers.

    Due to the fibre cuts, Hathway signals were disrupted and lost for around 4 to 6 hours during the crucial ICC World Twenty20 matches including the semi-final encounter between India and  West Indies, which led to huge consumer angst and created a lot of dissatisfaction to several Hathway customers. The fibre cuts caused by certain unknown parties seemed to be a deliberate and an intentional attempt to disrupt Hathway services in Pune and tarnish the brand image of the company, especially, during a high decibel event like the ICC World Twenty20. Hathway suspects that  the agenda was to destabilise Hathway in the city and cause revenue loss.

    Senior Hathway officials in Pune immediately took measures to counter this act of fibre cutting by illegal means by lodging FIRs across three major police stations in the city, demanding a probe.

    Once the police investigation is out, Hathway seeks to take legal measures against the culprits.

     

     

  • Hathway files FIRs against illegal disruption in Pune

    Hathway files FIRs against illegal disruption in Pune

    MUMBAI: One the leading MSOs in India,  Hathway Cable & Datacom Limited, undertook stringent action against recent disruption of its services in Pune by lodging three FIRs in multiple police stations across the city.

    In a series of incidents recently, fibre optic cables of Hathway provided by Tata tele-services were cut at multiple locations in the city by unknown parties leading to disruption of Hathway services and causing inconvenience to several Hathway customers.

    Due to the fibre cuts, Hathway signals were disrupted and lost for around 4 to 6 hours during the crucial ICC World Twenty20 matches including the semi-final encounter between India and  West Indies, which led to huge consumer angst and created a lot of dissatisfaction to several Hathway customers. The fibre cuts caused by certain unknown parties seemed to be a deliberate and an intentional attempt to disrupt Hathway services in Pune and tarnish the brand image of the company, especially, during a high decibel event like the ICC World Twenty20. Hathway suspects that  the agenda was to destabilise Hathway in the city and cause revenue loss.

    Senior Hathway officials in Pune immediately took measures to counter this act of fibre cutting by illegal means by lodging FIRs across three major police stations in the city, demanding a probe.

    Once the police investigation is out, Hathway seeks to take legal measures against the culprits.