The Karnataka High Court has stayed criminal proceedings against Amazon Seller Services Private Limited concerning the sale of pirated copies of the late journalist Ravi Belagere’s book, ‘Heli Hogu Karana’. The interim stay order was passed by Vacation Bench Justice K V Aravind on Tuesday while hearing Amazon’s petition to quash the FIR, according to medianama.com. The next hearing is scheduled for the third week of June.
The FIR was registered by Subramanyapura Police after Bhavana Belagere, the journalist’s daughter, filed a complaint alleging that unknown sellers used Amazon, Flipkart, and Meesho to sell pirated copies of the book at Rs 149, significantly below the maximum retail price of Rs 350. The complaint cited losses to Bhavana Publications and invoked the Copyright Act, 1957, specifically Sections 51(1)(b) and 63, which address copyright infringement and knowingly facilitating the sale of pirated material. Amazon alone challenged the FIR, arguing that it operates through agreements with third-party sellers who independently list products and set prices. Amazon invoked Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, which provides safe harbour protection to intermediaries for third-party content if they exercise due diligence.
This case highlights ongoing challenges in regulating e-commerce platforms’ liability for third-party content, especially concerning intellectual property rights. The involvement of major platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, and Meesho underscores the scale of the issue in India’s growing digital marketplace. The legal interpretation of intermediary liability under the IT Act is crucial for the sector, impacting how platforms manage content and seller accountability.
The Karnataka High Court’s next hearing in June will be closely watched for its implications on intermediary liability and copyright enforcement in India’s e-commerce ecosystem. The outcome could influence how online marketplaces handle pirated content complaints and shape future regulatory frameworks for digital intermediaries.