JioStar vs ExpressVPN: Copyright Battle Sparks National Security Concerns

• JioStar's criminal complaint against ExpressVPN, initially a copyright dispute, now raises national security concerns in India.
• ExpressVPN is accused of actively enabling users outside India to bypass geo-restrictions on JioHotstar by marketing itself as the “best VPN for Hotstar” and offering instructions on connecting to “virtual India servers.”
• The complaint alleges deliberate inducement of users outside India to access content licensed exclusively for Indian territories, using “virtual” India server configurations.
• Legal experts highlight implications for territorial licensing enforcement, platform accountability, and cross-border enforcement, with the concept of “active inducement” central to the dispute.
• The case also touches upon potential non-compliance with CERT-In directions on data retention and user identification, and the broader national security implications of VPN misuse in cybercrime and terrorism investigations.