Content On Netflix, Hotstar, Amazon Prime & Others Can’t Be Regulated By Cinematograph Act: Karnataka HC

The Karnataka High Court has ruled that multimedia content like movies and serials on the internet- YouTube, Google, and streaming platforms like Hotstar, Amazon Prime, Netflix and Alt Digital, cannot be regulated under the Cinematograph Act, 1952, reports The Hindu.

Concerned about children getting affected by uncensored contents through the online platforms owing to lack of regulation, a PIL petition was filed by Padmanabh Shankar, a resident of Bengaluru.

The petitioner had sought the court to bring films, serials, and other multimedia content transmitted through online platforms under the ambit of the Cinematograph Act until a suitable law is floated to regulate them.

The division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Mohammad Nawaz rejected the plea and said that most of the online contents are transferred based on requests by the users. Hence, it is not possible to bring the issue under the purview of the Cinematograph Act.

Understanding the concerns of the petitioner, the bench expressed hopes that the Union government will find an amicable solution in light of larger public interest.