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Russian book publishers aim to report Telegram to US officials

According to the copyright watchdog, there are over 170 Telegram channels distributing pirate copies of e-books and audio books, followed by several million users in total

MOSCOW, November 25. /TASS/. The Association for the Protection of Copyright on the Internet, which represents Russian book publishers, plans to report Telegram to US authorities if the messenger refuses to provide a reaction to the spread of pirate content, head of the association Maxim Ryabyko told TASS.

The organization informs in a statement in possession of TASS that there are over 170 Telegram channels distributing pirate copies of e-books and audio books, followed by several million users in total. "The majority of them do not respond to claims. Sending claims directly to the Telegram team to the address dmca@telegram.org does not bring any results either," they said.

"If there is no response from Telegram after the articles in the media, we will address the US authorities," Ryabyko noted. "We expect that the risk of money laundering will push US regulators to act, which, for its part, can convince Durov [founder of Telegram — TASS] to cooperate in a more active manner."

The association has also expressed concern over the introduction of TON digital currency within Telegram, which can become "an ideal means of anonymous monetization of pirate content and the subsequent legalization of revenue acquired through criminal activity." In this regard, the association offers Telegram to introduce the digital fingerprint technology to counteract unlawful placement of content and reduce the amount of copyright claims addressed to the owners of the platform.