How to report a Telegram channel for copyright infringement

To report a Telegram channel for copyright infringement, flag the infringing posts with the Report button in the app, and email Telegram's copyright team at dmca@telegram.org with the channel and post links, a description of your course and a statement that you own it. Telegram says it handles copyright complaints about public channels, groups, bots and sticker sets, but does not process requests about private chats and groups, so leaks in private groups usually need a court order.

Before you report: collect links, message IDs and proof of ownership

A report Telegram can act on names exact locations. Collect these first:

• The channel link (t.me/name) and @username, plus the display name, which pirates change often.
  
  
• Links to individual posts. In a public channel every post has its own address, t.me/name/123, where the number is the message ID. Copy it from the post's menu.
  
  
• Invite links (t.me/+...) for private channels and groups. Telegram won't act on these directly, but a court or the police may need them later.
  
  
• Screenshots that show the post, its date and the channel name, and any price, UPI ID or "DM for paid batch" message if the leak is being sold.
  
  
• Proof that the work is yours: your course page, the original lecture's title and publish date, agreements with the faculty who recorded it, and a copyright registration certificate if you have one.
  
  

Save all of this before reporting, because a channel that is taken down takes your evidence with it. Our guide to court-ready evidence of a leak explains hashing and the certificate courts ask for.

Reporting from inside the Telegram app

Telegram's FAQ describes the Report button that every app has:

• Android: tap the message and choose Report.
  
  
• iPhone and iPad: press and hold the message, then choose Report.
  
  
• Desktop, Web and macOS: right-click the message and choose Report.
  
  

Then pick the reason that fits. Most apps also offer Report in the channel's own menu, which flags the whole channel. In-app reports go to Telegram's moderators, but they carry no proof of ownership, so treat them as a companion to your copyright email, not a replacement.

Telegram's copyright email, abuse email and India grievance officer

Telegram's FAQ points copyright owners to email rather than a web form, and three addresses matter:

The grievance route matters because of India's IT Rules, 2021. A platform's grievance officer must acknowledge a complaint within 24 hours and, since the February 2026 amendments, resolve it within seven days. Use it when your copyright email gets no result, and keep copies of everything you send. Our explainer on grievance officers under the IT Rules covers what to do next, including an appeal to the Grievance Appellate Committee.

What to write in a copyright report

Keep it short, specific and easy to verify. A report that works usually reads like this:

Subject: Copyright infringement: [course name] on t.me/[channel]

I am [full name], [designation] of [institute], which owns the copyright in the recorded lectures and PDF notes of [course and batch], sold at [course page URL].

These posts reproduce our lectures without permission: [each t.me/channel/post link, with the lecture title it copies]. The channel also sells access at [price or UPI ID, if any].

I have a good faith belief that this use is not authorised by the copyright owner, its agent or the law. The information in this notice is accurate, and I am the owner or authorised to act for the owner.

Please remove these posts and the channel. [Full name, designation, phone, email, date]

Attach a few clear screenshots rather than dozens. If the channel exists only to share pirated courses, say so and give a representative list of posts.

Private channels, mirrors and bots

• Private channels and groups: Telegram's FAQ says it does not process requests about private chats and groups. Record invite links and member counts anyway. Court orders have reached them: in the Neetu Singh case, the Delhi High Court noted that Telegram had complied with its July 2020 order, including for private channels.
  
  
• Mirrors and backup channels: pirates pin a "backup channel" link so members can move when one channel is removed. Report each backup in the same email thread and note the naming pattern.
  
  
• Bots: bots that hand out files on request are public, so report the bot's @username to dmca@telegram.org as well.
  
  
• File links: channels often post Drive or Mega links rather than files. Report those hosts too; see reporting Drive and Mega links.
  
  

What happens after you report a channel

Telegram doesn't publish a response time for copyright complaints and may not reply. Moderators review the report, and when they act, the posts or the whole channel stop opening. Check your links daily for a week. If a channel is still live after a few days, reply in the same email thread with any new posts and write to the India grievance officer.

Expect copies to come back. In the Neetu Singh case, the educator told the Delhi High Court that some channels were taken down after emails to Telegram, but new ones came up almost daily. Each new channel needs a new report, which is why institutes with repeat leaks move on to the steps below. It helps to run all of this from one course leak response plan.

When reports aren't enough: legal routes in India

1. A police complaint. Knowingly infringing copyright is an offence under Section 63 of the Copyright Act, and the Supreme Court has held it to be cognizable, so police can register an FIR and seek account details from platforms through legal process. See our guide to filing a cyber crime complaint.
   
   
2. A court order. In Neetu Singh v. Telegram, Telegram told the Delhi High Court in July 2020 that it would take down offending channels within 36 hours of being told. In August 2022 the court directed Telegram to disclose the phone numbers, IP addresses and email addresses used by the people behind the channels, in a sealed cover. In August 2025 the suit was disposed of with Telegram bound to its takedown statement, now worded as "preferably within 36 hours" for requests that follow the IT Rules. Channels that keep respawning are the case for dynamic injunctions against pirate channels.
   
   
3. Your own records. A visible watermark on the leaked file, or your account and login records, can help point to the account involved, without any help from Telegram. Invisible watermarks, which are extremely hard to remove even after heavy re-encoding or screen recording, can trace a leaked copy back to the account it came from.
   
   

Key takeaways

• Save links and evidence first; a removed channel takes your evidence with it.
  
  
• Use the in-app Report button and email dmca@telegram.org for public channels, groups and bots.
  
  
• If nothing happens, write to grievance-in@telegram.org; grievance officers must acknowledge in 24 hours and resolve in seven days.
  
  
• Telegram doesn't act on private chats on request, but court orders have reached them.
  
  
• For channels that respawn, check your watermarks and account records, and consider a police complaint or a court order.
  
  

To cut leaks at the source and find the ones that slip through: VidSafe adds visible and invisible watermarks that are extremely hard to remove, even after heavy re-encoding, so a leaked copy can be traced back to the account it came from. Upclass apps also come with VidSafe proprietary encryption, PDF watermarking, screen- and camera-recording detection, account-sharing prevention and RASP, and the VidSafe SDK brings them to your own LMS. See the LMS for coaching institutes.

This is general information, not legal advice. For your situation, speak to a lawyer.

Related reading: how leaked lectures reach Telegram.

Frequently asked questions

What happens when you report a Telegram channel?

The report goes to Telegram's moderators, who check it against Telegram's terms of service, which prohibit violating copyright. If they agree, the posts or the whole channel are taken down. Telegram doesn't publish a response time and may not reply, so re-check the links yourself, and report any backup channel or new copy as soon as it appears.

How many report to close Telegram channel?

There is no published number, and for copyright the count isn't what matters. Telegram asks that copyright complaints come from the owner or an authorised agent, with links to the infringing content. One clear, well-documented complaint from the rights holder carries more weight than dozens of in-app reports from students, because reports from people who don't own the content can't prove ownership.

Can police track Telegram in India?

Police can seek information from Telegram through legal process, including written orders to platforms under India's IT Rules and criminal procedure law. Telegram's privacy policy says that on a valid order from judicial authorities confirming someone is a suspect in a criminal case, it may disclose that person's IP address and phone number. Whether it does so depends on its own legal review of the request.

Can police trace Telegram account?

Sometimes. Telegram accounts are tied to phone numbers, and courts and investigators can ask for account details. In Neetu Singh v. Telegram, the Delhi High Court directed Telegram to disclose the phone numbers, IP addresses and emails used by infringing channels. Numbers can be registered in someone else's name, though, so watermarks on the leaked file, visible or invisible, or your own account records, can be a quicker way to find the account involved.