Soon, recording at theatres to draw piracy law penalties

The ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) has begun the process of amending the Cinematograph Act, 1952, to incorporate provisions penalising duplication of films through recordings, which amounts to piracy, officials aware of the development said.

According to one official, the current law has no provision for taking action against piracy where films are illegally recorded while being screened in cinema halls. “After digitisation, films are illegally copied using camcorders and even mobile phones,” one of the officials added requesting anonymity. The ministry has received representations from film producers associations to amend the Act, which was formulated for certification of cinematograph films for exhibition. “The new Act will impose stiff penalties for piracy through illegal tapping,” a second official said, asking not to be identified.

In August, the department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP) wrote to the MIB, stressing that film piracy needed to be checked at source -- illegal duplication in cinema halls -- by amending the Act and incorporating anti-duplication provisions. This was followed by a joint meeting of officials from the MIB, DIPP and ministry of information technology. “Piracy causes losses to filmmakers as well as government exchequer,” said the second official.

Earlier, the Motion Pictures Association told the MIB that as per its data, approximately 90% of new releases appear illegally after being recorded on camera. MarkMonitor Inc., an American software company that protects corporate brands from piracy said in a 2016 report that there were 5.4 billion downloads of pirated films and television shows globally.

NEWDELHI: INDIA HAS NO PROVISION FOR TAKING ACTION AGAINST PIRACY WHERE FILMS ARE ILLEGALLY RECORDED WHILE BEING SCREENED IN CINEMA