Play it safe!

When IPL was watched online, from almost anywhere in the world, it certainly made several cricket lovers ecstatic! But imagine being responsible for monitoring the content online and curbing piracy? That’s what 27-year-old Nanda Chalam ensures for everyone. Nanda is the CEO of Copyright Integrity International or CII, which protects online content.

CII which is the four-year-old brainchild of two Rhodes scholars is now being run entirely by Nanda. Armed with a degree in law and business studies from University of Warwick, Nanda also served as senior operating officer for monitoring online content at one of the largest social networking sites in the world. Major events like the ICC Cricket World Cup, IPL and many international cricket tournaments have been given technical and legal support by his team. “My main aim is to prevent the unlicensed use of content, protect sponsor exclusivity, combat ambush marketing and unofficial branding during big sports events. People tend to capitalise on matches, and sometimes unlawfully use content for gains.”

Piracy has always been a rampant issue in India, right from music and movies to sports. The young entrepreneur is aware of the enormity of what he is attempting to curb, “The way I see it, the law and the Internet are in a constant game of catch-up! When you figure out a way to control something online, the Internet throws another challenge at you! So yes, I’m always chasing something that is constantly changing!”

Bengaluru does have quite a few tech geeks who call themselves ethical hackers. So what is Nanda’s take on them? “There are people who are hired as testers to hack into new software, just to test its strength and that’s quite prudent. But if you do it without permission, do remember that you have to face the legal consequences!”

The coming few weeks are going to be busy for Nanda, with the Champions League T20 round the corner. “It is an exciting time for us since we are engaging with other sports as well. Our services are also designed to protect digital rights relating to books, music and movies.”