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Over the top regulation

Classifying OTTs as e-commerce firms is a bad idea

Netflix counts India as key market, plans bigger bets for more subscribers
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Business Standard Editorial Comment New Delhi
Over-the-top (OTT) platforms such as Netflix, Hotstar and Amazon Prime are worried because they may have to scout for ways to comply with the proposed e-commerce policy if the current draft is accepted. At the centre of the problem is the definition of goods and services to be covered by the e-commerce policy as envisaged by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). The recently issued draft policy defines e-commerce as “buying, selling, marketing or distribution of goods, including digital products and services, through electronic network”.

Once this definition is taken in conjunction with the foreign direct investment