Sharing newspaper PDFs illegal, a threat to the society, says INS

The circulation of newspaper PDFs (Portable Document Formats) by social media groups is illegal, said Indian Newspaper Society (INS). According to the industry body of media outlets, the practice — that has gained steam since March lockdown — is in violation of intellectual property rights, and apart from hurting the industry, is a potential threat to the society.

According to INS, mass circulation of such PDFs is robbing the media outlets of revenue and impacting their ability to invest in collecting and publishing credible news. “A large pool of journalists, production and distribution staff is involved in publishing a newspaper. But dedicated groups have emerged, who copy the paper early in the morning and distribute online, either for monetary or social gains. This is like releasing pirated versions of a movie on the web before its theatrical release,” said Manish Jain, vice-president, INS. 

Various studies and researches have said physical newspapers are safe and do not spread Covid-19. 

Covid-19 has severely disrupted the industry’s finances, which were already under pressure in 2019-20 owing to poor economic growth and the growing influence of digital media.

INS is now appealing to all stakeholders to act against illegal sharing of such PDFs. Jain said social media platforms like WhatsApp have so far been prompt in taking down any such groups, whenever they receive complaints.