REGULATION OF ONLINE REAL MONEY GAMING

Copyright infringement not intended

 Context: To regulate "online real money games," the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology announced an amendment to the IT Regulations, in 2021.

Details

• The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting expressed strong opposition to the guideline to recent instances of mainstream English and Hindi media containing advertisements and promotional content from betting websites. It said that the government would be compelled to take necessary legal action against any non-compliance.
• The advisory was extended to all media types, including newspapers, television channels, and internet news publishers, and included specific instances where such advertisements had recently appeared in the media.
• The Ministry objected to marketing by a specific betting platform that urged viewers to watch a sports league on its website, which was clearly in violation of the Copyright Act.

Regulation for Real Money Gaming

About

• The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Regulations, 2023 of the IT Ministry require real money gaming platforms to register with a self-regulatory body (SRB) that will evaluate if the game is "permissible."

Self-regulatory body (SRB)

• Three SRBs will be recognised soon, said the Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology.
• There will now be more government control of how SRBs operate. The majority of the standards under the guidelines are already part of the industry's responsible gaming best practices.
• If these games are not declared "permissible," they will not be protected by the amendment, and states may be able to prosecute them for being betting or gambling sites.
• Games considered legitimate will be permitted to function legally, even if they include deposits with the prospect of winning.
• SRB registration is not required for video games in which no money is involved.

Keywords

Copyright Act

• The Copyright Act of 1957 was India's first post-independence copyright legislation, and it has been amended six times since then. The most recent modification occurred in 2012, with the passage of the Copyright (Amendment) Act 2012.
• Copyright is a set of legal rights granted to authors of literary, theatrical, musical, and creative works, as well as makers of cinematograph films and sound recordings.
• The rights granted by Copyright law include the rights to reproduce the work, communicate the work to the public, alter the work, and translate the work.
• The scope and terms of copyright protection vary depending on the nature of the protected work.

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Online Gaming Industry: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/online-gaming-industry

PRACTICE QUESTION Q. Due to lockdowns, online gaming has flourished throughout the pandemic. From pre-Covid levels, the average amount of time spent playing online games has increased by roughly 65%. For India's online gaming industry to reach its full potential, a strong policy framework is required. Discuss

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