This article is for those of you whose channels were brought down because of YouTube’s Copyright strike and also those of whose channels are not yet… If you’re a YouTuber, you must be aware of YouTube’s Copyright Policy. Copyright strike is a nightmare for YouTubers.
YouTube’s Copyright Policy: Know in-depth
YouTube’s copyright policy is designed to address the issues of copyright infringement and to protect the rights of content creators. YouTube makes it clear that the use of unauthorized content is unacceptable.
Three strikes against the channel and it’s gone! –Content ID is YouTube’s automated, scalable system that enables copyright owners to identify YouTube videos that include content they own. YouTube only grants Content ID to copyright owners who meet specific criteria. A database of copyright ownership is set by the content owners. Three unheeded and un‑appealed copyright strikes and YouTube could permanently delete your channel.
What is AiPlex Software Pvt. Ltd.?
AiPlex Software Pvt. Ltd, is India’s 1st online anti-piracy company that helps content owners to protect content across all digital platforms, i.e., social media, search engines, mobile apps, streaming platforms, etc., serving 200+ corporate clients with customized content protection solutions for over 13 years.
Why Does AiPlex Send Copyright Notices to YouTube Users?
Because they are engaged by content owners to protect copyrighted content in the online space – as simple as that. Now, let’s dig deeper…
AiPlex is entrusted with the task of protecting content in the online space. On YouTube, it is authorized by content owners to act on their behalf and take action against any infringement.
AiPlex sends copyright notice If the YouTuber uses:
Copyrighted music in the background
Thumbnails containing copyrighted images, posters, etc.
A whole movie/episodes/dialogues/scenes
Movie Clips (whether it is 4 sec or 40 seconds, you can’t use someone’s content without their consent)
Misuse of fair use policy (giving credits doesn’t mean it’s okay to use authorized content)
While sending a copyright notice, AiPlex (or any company for that matter) is bound to comply with YouTube guidelines and policies and provide evidence to YouTube including details such as contact information, infringing URL, and copyright certificate.
Whenever AiPlex discovers that content is being misused (intentionally or unintentionally), it intervenes and notifies the user as well as YouTube of the violation. By doing so, AiPlex ensures that the legitimate rights of content creators are safeguarded.
What Can You Do to Resolve a Copyright Strike?
Delete the video immediately and inform the complainant.
Request the complainant to retract their copyright notice.
Wait for 90 days until the copyright strike expires. Don’t repeat the same mistake again!
File a counter-notification if you think your video is removed by mistake, and it comes under fair use policy.
Drop us a line if you need help in protecting your content across the online space.
Once, when Navya was a young girl, her grandmother had narrated the story of Padmavati – a legendary Rajput queen from the 14th century. She remembered how deeply she respected this woman for her honor, valor and grace. And as crazy as this may sound – when she listened to these stories, she would dwell so deep in them that she would talk like her, behave like her, sing and dance like her! she believed she was the queen Padmavati herself. Wanting to relive these moments; she used telegram to download the copyrighted version of the film “Padmaavat”.
Well, she’s not alone. Many others like her have discovered pirated content over Telegram.
Telegram – the popular messaging app that provides users with end-to-end encryption on their chats, has become the leading source for pirated content throughout Asia. This app is generally popular amongst activists, journalists, and whistle blowers; because it allows users to conceal their identity while sharing texts, videos, and other copyrighted content.
Telegram statistics as of 2021 reveal that it was the most downloaded app on Play Store and App Store with 500 million active monthly users and 63 million plus downloads globally. It’s also rated as a popular networking app in Malaysia according to App Annie and ranks at 3rd position in India.
Telegram on Silver Mobile Phone Mockup with 3d icons
So, with these many million active users; it is the root cause of considerable revenue loss for content creators while it is the preferred platform by pirates to distribute unlicensed content.
Pirates favour Telegram because it allows them to share data in encrypted chat groups that consist of 2,00,000 plus people; which in turn attracts millions of subscribers. It also prevents internet providers, telecom providers and the platform itself from decrypting conversations. The group chat also enables users to hide their phone numbers thus helping them conceal their identity.
Let’s check out some of the ways these pirates are exploiting Telegram:
By Disguising: Due to the absence of an embedded player inside the platform – pirates can upload free videos on Telegram’s hosted cloud services, use its channels and groups to distribute text and M3U links to consumers. Further, to attract more users – pirates use recognised payment gateways such as Bitcoin, PayPal and they even add subtitles in various languages. They hide keywords pertaining to the content they have stolen and make use of code words in their messages to attract users by including references to private pirate channels.
By Strategizing: A few minutes before a live-sporting event; these pirates not only spread new channels on Telegrams with new links consisting of illegal content but
they also have back-up channels readily available to consumers in case the first link gets removed.
Abandoning Ship:Pirates even send notifications to its users stating that a Telegram channel has been suspended because of copyright and provide instruction to follow a new channel. They even ask consumers to shift to other platforms and pirate sites by sharing links to the open web or to other platforms.
Pilfering the stream:As if live streams weren’t enough, pirates offer OTT subscribers with stolen credentials, hacked IPTV emulator channels where consumers can watch live channels without requiring a set-top box, and pirated APKs.
Producers and broadcasters spend huge amounts on their content and for purchasing sports rights. They should be confident that they can cover their costs and sustain their business in the long run. So, coming up with a strategy for anti-piracy requires a meticulous, forensic, intelligence-led approach to figure out complex pirate ecosystems that exist in various layers. We need to understand trends, unravel approaches and know the pirates’ behavioural patterns to win against them. Hence, the media industry needs to collaborate with government and law enforcement agencies to come up with stricter penalties and to make use of technologies like watermarking mandatory.
Contact the experts
AiPlex prides itself in being India’s first antipiracy company with more than 12+ years of domain expertise. It has helped take down infringed content across various platforms, verify over a million URLs, detect fake websites and provide content protection solutions for over 200+ content owners.
In today’s digital era, websites with pirated links have become a growing concern, especially for creators and media platforms. Whether it’s movies, web series, or educational material—unauthorized sharing affects both revenue and reputation. Piracy isn’t just unethical—it’s illegal.
Indian laws and international regulations are stepping up. Platforms like Google and YouTube now actively deindex pirated content upon DMCA notification. If you’re a creator, now’s the time to take action and secure your work.
How Pirated Websites Harm the Creative Ecosystem
Pirated links strip creators of their rightful earnings. Whether you’re an independent filmmaker or a brand with original content, piracy lowers your visibility and trust. Worse, it exposes audiences to malicious ads or malware.
💡 According to a report by MUSO, India ranks among the top countries for piracy traffic worldwide.
Legal Action Against Websites with Pirated Links in India
India’s Copyright Act, 1957, offers legal support to content owners. Under Sections 51 and 63, creators can file legal complaints against infringing parties.
Start by reverse-searching your video or blog titles. Use tools like Copyscape, Google Alerts, and piracy trackers. If pirated links surface, document everything—URLs, screenshots, and hosting details.
Don’t delay. File a DMCA takedown request immediately.
How to File a DMCA Takedown in India
Identify the infringing URL
Gather proof of original ownership
Use Google or hosting provider’s DMCA form
Send a legal notice (if required)
⚠️ Pro Tip: Always send a copy of your takedown request to the host AND the domain registrar.
How Streaming Platforms Are Fighting Piracy
OTT services like Netflix, Hotstar, and Amazon Prime use watermarking, AI scanning, and dynamic encryption to detect piracy in real time.
Still, websites with pirated links continue to pop up—often hosted outside India. Global cooperation is key.
Why You Should Never Ignore Pirated Versions of Your Work
Ignoring piracy allows it to spread. Worse, it could damage your brand’s SEO. Google penalizes duplicate content, and that includes unauthorized reposts of your blog or videos.
You must stay proactive, not reactive.
Real Examples of Successful Takedowns
A music label found their latest album leaked on 15 torrent sites. Within 48 hours of issuing DMCA notices, 12 were taken down.
A coaching platform recovered search visibility after removing pirated video lectures from third-party forums.
There are more than 40 OTT platforms in India that offer original and exclusive content. At least 5 new OTT platforms are launched every month. Despite this wide availability, OTT Piracy in India continues to thrive. Why do users still turn to illegal sources when they have so many legal options?
Why OTT Piracy in India Happens: You Don’t Find What You Need
Take the case of Naveen, a middle-level executive. He subscribes to Amazon Prime and Sony Liv, yet many of his favorite films and TV shows are not available on either of these platforms.
These OTT platforms compete with each other by offering “exclusive content” and “original programming,” and that is exactly where the problem lies. It is not financially viable or practical to subscribe to all OTT platforms.
With this multitude of new entrants in the OTT space, content aggregation has become fragmented. It is impossible for any individual platform to provide enough choice to end consumers. The absence of a legal, unified platform leads many users to rely on pirated content—fueling OTT Piracy in India.
Pirates Provide a Unified Platform
However, pirates who run illegal streaming services aggregate content from multiple video streaming services into a single interface. Open-source video players and the same technology that OTT platforms use make this possible.
Pirated platforms make access easy, free, and centralized—something that legal OTT platforms have yet to match. This convenience is a driving factor in the growth of OTT Piracy in India.
What Can OTT Platforms Do to Stop OTT Piracy in India?
In addition to implementing a slew of security measures like DRM, watermarking, and fingerprinting, OTT platforms must go a step further. They need to enlist the services of companies that offer customized anti-piracy solutions tailored for OTT platforms.
India’s First Online Anti-Piracy Company Could Be That Choice
We at AiPlex are not only pioneers in providing anti-piracy solutions to Bollywood theatrical releases and the top OTT platforms in India, but we’ve also stood the test of time—protecting OTT content since as far back as 2010. All the big names in the OTT space bank on us.
We understand the piracy ecosystem like no one else and are able to disrupt piracy at a visceral level.
People typically discover unlicensed content through search engines and social media platforms. Through an SEO-optimized process of detecting, reporting, and removing infringing listings instantly, we create a clean SERP environment—reducing the scope of OTT Piracy in India significantly.
Our tie-up with payment gateways, our legal expertise, and our coordination with ISPs and enforcement agencies ensures that you make the most of your content portfolio and its monetization potential.
Drop us a line—we’ll show you how to protect your content effectively.
Right from the beginning of professional movie production, piracy has been there in different forms; be it bicycling (unauthorized extended shows in theatres) in the silent movie era, pirated CDs, camcorder recordings, or the current trend of restreaming of linear content.
But Does Digital Piracy Impact Sales?
This has been an eternal question that begs an answer. It depends on whom you ask and which side of the debate they stand on.
The Answer Could Be an Emphatic Yes-It Is Not That Simple Though!
There are statistical studies that say that piracy has no impact on sales.
On the other hand, there is a report that estimates that the Indian media and entertainment industry loses some 820,000 jobs and revenue equivalent to $4 billion each year to piracy and counterfeiting.
Factors That Might Help Us To Put The Debate to Rest
There are 2 interrelated factors that show up in almost all studies and reports on the impact of piracy on sales and they are the “displacement rate of piracy” and “audiences’ willingness to pay”
Displacement Rate: A study of the recent top box-office hits reveals that for every 10 movies watched illegally 4 fewer movies are watched legally, which means there is a displacement rate of 40%. These displacement rates translate to 5% less sales or revenue. Tidbit: Piracy competes more with theatre tickets than it does with downloads.
Audiences’ Unwillingness to Pay: A study also revealed that 4 out of 5 consumers were unwilling to pay the market rate for film and TV shows. If they could watch something for free, they would.
These 2 data points imply that piracy impacts sales either by displacing potential consumption or directing audiences to unlicensed free content for those unwilling to pay market prices.
The Third Dimension
The cultural aspect of piracy: The society at large doesn’t see viewing pirated content as something immoral or illegal. Societies increasingly condone piracy on different ideological grounds. An average consumer accessing pirated content with a simple Google search without any qualms or reservations about watching pirated content does really impact sales and revenues.
Piracy is no longer confined to tech-savvy users and the dark web. It is a digital product like any other and is impacting sales by billions of dollars.
What Should the Content Owners Do?
Piracy if not effectively dealt with could sound like a death knell for the media and entertainment industry.
Content owners should partner with a company that is at the forefront of fighting digital piracy in all its forms and has been successful at it; AiPlex is one such.
Just drop us a line and we will formulate a plan that is customized just for you.
