https://techcrunch.com/2022/11/14/india-lifts-download-ban-on-vlc/
India has lifted the download ban on VLC, more than nine months after it mysteriously blocked the official website of the popular media playback software in the South Asian market. VideoLAN, the popular software's developer, filed a legal notice last month seeking an explanation from the nation's IT and Telecom ministries for the block order.
The Ministry of Electronics and IT has removed its ban on the website of VLC media player, New Delhi-based advocacy group Internet Freedom Foundation, which provided legal support to VideoLAN, said on Monday. VideoLAN confirmed the order.
"This ban was put into place without any prior notice and without giving VideoLAN the opportunity of a hearing, which went against the 2009 Blocking Rules and the law laid down by the Supreme Court in Shreya Singhal v. Union of India. This was strange because VLC Media Player is an open-source software which is used by nearly 80 million Indians," IFF said in a statement.
Indian telecom operators began blocking VideoLAN's official website, where it lists links to downloading VLC, in February of this year, VideoLAN president and lead developer Jean-Baptiste Kempf told TechCrunch in an earlier interview. India is one of the largest markets for VLC.
[...] Last month, VideoLAN and Internet Freedom Foundation used legal means to get answers and redressal surrounding the ban. India's IT ministry never made public the order of the ban, yet all telecom operators in the country complied with it. In its legal notice last month, VideoLAN sought a copy of the blocking order.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Revek on Thursday November 17 2022, @01:46AM (2 children)
I figure they had some exploited player they wanted people to use instead. But being India the go to answer is someone had a half ass product they wanted people to use and they bribed someone to make it illegal in an effort to get wider adoption of their player.
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(Score: 4, Insightful) by drussell on Thursday November 17 2022, @03:06AM (1 child)
Ah, I hadn't considered the corrupt insider angle!
That would make a lot of sense!
(Score: 2) by stretch611 on Friday November 18 2022, @06:47AM
tbh, I thought it was likely to be something like the Indian equivalent of the MPAA that got it blocked. After all whgat good are pirated movies if you don't have something to play them on.
Now with 5 covid vaccine shots/boosters altering my DNA :P