“OTT Requirements Will Enhance Litigation,” Telecom Information, ET Telecom

Mumbai: A day after the government announced new policies and codes of ethics for video streaming platforms, top executives at these companies said the code was similar to what the industry had proposed, but the complaint resolution mechanism gave rise to Concern.

“Most over-the-top (OTT) services shouldn’t have problems with self-classification or system setup,” said an OTT service executive who asked not to be identified. “The problem is the third level of the regulatory mechanism, where a cross-departmental committee has control over the self-regulatory authority and the authority to remove content.”

The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) code and toolkit industry association and its members, who proposed last September, had the same guidelines for content, the person said. “There isn’t much to oppose, but there is a lot to chew.”

Clauses that have resulted in OTT player legal teams burning the proverbial midnight oil are the presence of a government oversight committee and the proposed appointment of a designated agent from the Information and Broadcasting Department with authority to block access to content.

“While the government was asking for an independent self-regulatory agency, the third stage was sudden and the industry was caught unsuspecting,” said the senior executive of an OTT service. “The sector is already facing public content setbacks, and now we are under additional scrutiny. This increases the compliance burden. “

IAMAI will meet on Monday to decide what to do next, industry officials said.

A lawyer said that there will be a lawsuit for any request to change / delete / edit any piece of content or an order to apologize or remove it. “Wait for the oversight committee to take action and you will see a lot of petitions in court,” she said.