GOVT TIGHTENS PIRACY LAW, CLEARS PB FUNDS

NEW DELHI: The Union cabinet on Wednesday approved an amendment to the Cinematograph Act, 1952, laying down punishment of up to three years and a fine of up to ₹10 lakh or both for unauthorised duplication of films through video recording.

The current law had no provision for taking action against piracy where films are illegally recorded while being screened in cinema halls.

The ministry of information and broadcasting had received representations from film producers; associations to amend the Act, which was formulated for certification of cinematograph films for exhibition.

In August last year, 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.

Earlier, an information and broadcasting ministry official told HT, “Piracy causes huge losses to filmmakers as well as to the government exchequer.”

The cabinet also approved ₹1,054.52 crore for public broadcaster Prasar Bharati to upgrade its infrastructure and networks. This amount will be for a period of three years from 2017-18 to 2019-20 and the fund the launch of DD Arun Prabha from Itanagar, a channel that will cater to the audiences in the North Eastern states.

Of that amount, ₹435.04 crore has been earmarked for continuing schemes of All India Radio, while ₹619.48 crore has been allocated to Doordarshan to help in the modernization of equipment and studios.