- JioStar has filed a criminal complaint against ExpressVPN in India
- The complaint maintains that the VPN actively markets the ability to bypass blocking.
- JioStar alleges ExpressVPN is an ‘inducer’ of copyright infringement
India’s largest streaming and entertainment company JioStar has reportedly filed a criminal complaint against ExpressVPN, marking a significant escalation in the battle between rights holders and privacy tools in India.
According to a report by Storyboard18, the complaint was filed at the Noida Cyber Crime Police Station. It alleges that ExpressVPN has engaged in marketing practices that effectively encourage copyright infringement by encouraging users to circumvent geographic restrictions.
The complaint reportedly targets specific language used in ExpressVPN’s advertising. While VPNs are often defended as privacy-preserving utilities, JioStar maintains that ExpressVPN’s promotion of “unblocking” capabilities crosses a legal line.
“This is not a misuse of a neutral tool,” the complaint states, alleging that the provider has taken on the role of “knowledge facilitator and inducer” to bypass geographic restrictions.
JioStar, which owns exclusive digital and streaming rights to premium sporting events like the IPL, maintains that by explicitly marketing the ability to virtually change locations to access content “for free” or from unauthorized regions, the VPN provider is complicit in the resulting piracy.
TechRadar has reached out to ExpressVPN for comment on the allegations and will update this story when we receive a response.
The distinction between a “neutral tool” and a “facilitator” is central to modern copyright law. Typically, technology providers argue that they can’t be held responsible for how customers use their software, any more than a VCR manufacturer can’t be held responsible for a user pirating a movie.
However, JioStar’s complaint appears to challenge this defense by focusing on the incentive. By allegedly advertising features specifically designed to defeat geo-blocking measures employed by streaming services, the complaint suggests that ExpressVPN is shedding its “neutral intermediary” status.
This development is particularly notable in India, a market that has become increasingly hostile to VPN providers. In 2022, the Indian government’s CERT-In directives forced many providers, including ExpressVPN, to remove physical servers from the country to avoid mandatory data logging.
Now, providers face legal challenges not only over data retention, but also over their core value proposition for streaming audiences.
A global offensive against the ‘unlock’
This case in India is not an isolated incident; represents a growing global trend in which rights holders are moving beyond targeting “rogue” pirate sites and instead targeting the infrastructure that allows access to them.
In Europe, the pressure is increasing. The MPA is pushing for VPNs to play a role in the fight against piracy in Europe, arguing that services must do more to verify that their users are not involved in copyright theft.
Similarly, sports leagues are taking aggressive action. La Liga just won a court order requiring NordVPN and Proton VPN to block illegal soccer streams in Spain, a move that VPN companies criticized as technically unfeasible and an overreach on privacy.
Additionally, a French court has already issued three blocking orders against popular VPN services, including ExpressVPN. Another sign that courts are increasingly willing to put the burden of policing content on VPN providers themselves.
JioStar’s criminal complaint suggests that India is now joining this global front, using criminal law rather than just civil mandates to pressure VPN services into compliance. If successful, this could force a major change in the way VPN providers, who frequently top our lists of the best VPN services, market their capabilities for unblocking global content.
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Access a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protect your online security and strengthen your online privacy when you are abroad. We do not support or condone using a VPN service to break the law or conduct illegal activities. Future Publishing does not endorse or approve the consumption of paid pirated content.
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