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

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

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