New Delhi, 03 November: To stop film piracy, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has taken steps and appointed nodal officers. 12 nodal officers across the country will receive complaints against piracy and give instructions to remove pirated content on digital platforms.
It is noteworthy that during this year’s monsoon session, Parliament has passed the Cinematograph (Amendment) Act, 1952. The film industry is losing Rs 20,000 crore every year due to piracy.
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said on Friday that till now there was no institutional mechanism to take direct action on pirated film content except legal action under the Copyright Act and IPC.
He said, the spread of the Internet and almost everyone being interested in watching film content for free has seen a rise in piracy. Now after the appointment of these 12 nodal officers, immediate action can be taken in the case of piracy and the industry will get relief. Of these, two nodal officers will sit at the headquarters and have been appointed at several regional offices including Mumbai.
He said that this law will benefit the film industry and will also boost India’s soft power in the world. Under this law, nodal officers have been appointed to take strict action against those committing piracy.
It is noteworthy that the purpose of the Cinematograph (Amendment) Act is to curb film piracy. The last significant amendment to this Act was made in the year 1984. The Act was amended after 40 years to include provisions against film piracy, including digital piracy. Under this law, strict punishment for people committing piracy includes imprisonment of minimum 3 months and a fine of Rs 3 lakh.
Who can apply?
The original copyright holder or any person authorized by him can apply to the nodal officer for removal of pirated material. If a complaint is made by a person who does not hold the copyright or is not authorized by the copyright holder, the Nodal Officer may hold a hearing on a case-by-case basis to decide the genuineness of the complaint before issuing directions.
Under the law, the digital platform will be bound to remove such internet links hosting pirated content within 48 hours after receiving instructions from the nodal officer.
