India's streaming giant lodges criminal complaint against ExpressVPN over alleged copyright-breaching marketing

• JioStar has filed a criminal complaint against ExpressVPN in India
• The complaint argues the VPN actively markets the ability to bypass blocks
• 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 lodged at the Noida Cyber Crime Police Station. It alleges that ExpressVPN has engaged in marketing practices that effectively abet copyright infringement by encouraging users to bypass geo-restrictions.

The complaint reportedly targets the specific language used in ExpressVPN’s advertising. While VPNs are often defended as privacy-preserving utilities, JioStar contends that ExpressVPN's promotion of "unblocking" capabilities crosses a legal line.

"This is not a case of a neutral tool being misused," the complaint argues, alleging that the provider has assumed the role of a "knowing facilitator and inducer" of geo-restriction bypass.

JioStar, which holds exclusive digital and broadcast rights to premium sporting events like the IPL, argues 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 contacted ExpressVPN for comment on the allegations and will update this story when we receive a response.

The "Neutral Tool" Defense Under Fire

The distinction between a "neutral tool" and a "facilitator" is central to modern copyright law. Typically, technology providers argue that they cannot be held liable for how customers use their software, much like a VCR manufacturer isn't liable for a user pirating a movie.

However, JioStar’s complaint appears to challenge this defense by focusing on inducement. By allegedly advertising features specifically designed to defeat the geo-blocking measures employed by streaming services, the complaint suggests ExpressVPN is stripping itself of the "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 just over data retention, but over their core value proposition to streaming audiences.

A Global Crackdown on 'Unblocking'

This case in India is not an isolated incident; it represents a growing global trend where rights holders are moving beyond targeting "rogue" pirate sites and are instead targeting the infrastructure that enables access to them.

In Europe, the pressure is mounting. The MPA presses for VPNs to have a role in the anti-piracy row in Europe, arguing that services must do more to verify that their users aren't engaging in copyright theft.

Similarly, sports leagues are taking aggressive action. La Liga has just won a court order requiring NordVPN and Proton VPN to block illegal football streams in Spain — a move that VPN companies criticized for being technically unfeasible and a privacy overreach.

Furthermore, a French court has already issued three blocking orders against popular VPN services, ExpressVPN included. Another signal that courts are increasingly willing to place the burden of policing content on the VPN providers themselves.

JioStar's criminal complaint suggests that India is now joining this global front, using criminal law rather than just civil injunctions to pressure VPN services into compliance. If successful, this could force a major change in how VPN providers, which frequently top our lists of the best VPN services, market their abilities to unblock global content.

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