A controversial documentary that centers on a fatal gang rape in New Delhi is no longer available to YouTube viewers worldwide after the production company behind India's Daughter filed a copyright claim.

The film has sparked contentious debate since the Indian government threatened the BBC for breaking a court order banning the film. Before the worldwide takedown, YouTube on Thursday blocked users in India who uploaded copies of the documentary due to a government request.

India's Daughter, by British filmmaker Leslee Udwin, was released on British television and online Wednesday night, days earlier than scheduled, after the Indian government attempted to block its screening with a restraining order and a letter to the broadcaster.

Indian officials were outraged by promotional clips in which one of the convicted attackers blames the victim for the horrific crime.

The full documentary was widely available on YouTube the day after its Wednesday night release, despite the video-sharing site blocking several clips in India to comply with government requests. Efforts to restrict the film have been stymied by YouTube viewers who continue to upload and share the film in its entirety. It was not difficult to find in the U.S. in the early afternoon Friday.

Under YouTube's copyright-infringement policy, owners of copyright-protected work posted on YouTube without authorization can request the content be taken down. A Google spokesperson declined to comment on the video's removal.

The video can still be seen on the BBC website, but only to viewers in the UK. As of this writing, the only way to watch a legal copy of the film from outside of Britain is to use a private VPN or a service like Hola! to create a fake IP address located within the UK.

The broadcaster said in a statement that the independent production company behind the documentary, Assassin Films, had filed the copyright complaints. According to the statement, the deal that BBC has with the company means that the network is only in charge of broadcasting within the UK.

It is not clear whether there are still plans to broadcast the film outside of Britain. Assassin Films did not immediately respond to Mashable's request for comment.

The film was originally slated to air this Sunday in the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden and India to coincide with International Women's day. But after the Indian government issued the court order, citing public safety, the network released the film early to "enable viewers to see this incredibly powerful documentary at the earliest opportunity."

India's home minister Rajnath Singh told reporters Thursday that the government would take action against the BBC for breaking the court order but did not go into detail.