War against online piracy can be won, says PFM
PETALING JAYA: Film Producers Association Malaysia ( PFM) president Datuk Norman Abdul Halim said the war against online piracy may be difficult, but it can be won.
It takes a continuous effort between the industry players and the Government to shut down this illegal activity completely.
First, he said it should begin with an update of the existing Copyright Act 1987.
“Our Copyright Act is 30 years old. It is still relevant but it’ll do a lot of good to have a revision that addresses the current issues, namely online piracy,” he said.
“What is challenging right now is the speed at which it takes to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“We are challenged by the outdated SOPs and need to figure out a plan that helps us address online piracy on a timely basis,” said Norman, referring to standard operating procedures.
“When the first opportunity to monetise a product is compromised, it directly affects the financial success of the movie,” he said.
This in turn affects the distributors, content service providers, and people whose livelihood depends on the industry.
“The implications of piracy are deep and we hope to bring greater awareness to the users. We hope it will help highlight how online piracy impacts and affects our content media industry,” said Airin Zainul, Media Prima’s director of tonton, and licensing and merchandising.
Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (Casbaa) coalition against piracy general manager Neil Gane believes that the fast transmission of digital data has facilitated access to online pirated content.
“Among some consumers, this has resulted in an expectation of getting ‘ something for nothing’, an unfortunate by-product of the Internet which has seen a huge devaluation in the work of artistes, musicians, directors, actors and others making entertainment products,” he said.
The impact of piracy on the creative industry is big but he feels that the damage also affects consumers themselves, because piracy is synonymous with malware.
“Earlier this year, a fake Netflix app was discovered by cybersecurity experts, which could take control of a user’s device,” said Gane.
This could potentially result in the theft of personal data, credit card fraud or even being held to ransom.
“The malware embedded into the fake Netflix app allowed hackers to gain access to the device’s e-mails and data files as well as the webcam and microphone, and remotely record what the users see or hear,” he said.
Gane also cited a case where hackers embedded spyware viruses into a movie subtitling app designed to be downloaded into TV boxes which use the Kodi software.
“Unlike TV boxes manufactured by legitimate platforms, illegal streaming devices (ISD) don’t usually get updated when a malware has been detected,” he said.
Communications and Multimedia Content Forum of Malaysia (CMCF) chairman Datuk Ahmad Izham Omar believes that revenue is the only way for Malaysian creators to improve.
“Our content will get better and will also contribute positively to not only our own GDP but the richness of our culture,” he said.
“So stop supporting pirates and stop illegally consuming content. That is, if you care about the future of our creators.”