Regulation of films available on websites: LHC dismisses petition of cinema operator

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) dismissed a petition of a cinema operator seeking regulation of films available on Netflix, Amazon, Prime Video, and other websites under the Motion Picture Ordinance 1979 and the rules framed by the Censor Board.

The court observed that platforms like Netflix and Amazon upload millions of hours of content, with new material being added every hour. It is extremely difficult to censor such a vast volume of content before publication, and there is no existing law that enables such regulation, the court added.

The court said that the Motion Picture Ordinance predates the digital era and was specifically designed for films shown in cinemas, hence the platforms like Netflix and social media sites do not fall under this ordinance.

The court also observed that following the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, matters related to the Censor Board have become provincial. However, no province has amended the law to include films released on social platforms the court added.

The court further observed that one of the core challenges is that it is difficult to remove only specific content, often requiring blocking of entire websites. This issue is not limited to Pakistan but is a concern for countries around the world, the court added.

The court said the content that is anti-state or against Islamic teachings can be removed through the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), which holds the authority under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA Act) to remove illegal content on its own initiative as well, the court concluded.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025