Advertisement
An initiative to address the growing menace of content theft was jointly announced today between the Andhra Pradesh Film Chamber of Commerce (APFCC) and the Motion Picture Dist. Association (India) Pvt. Ltd. (MPDA) in the presence of Mike Robinson – Executive Vice President, Content Protection and Chief of Operations – Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).
The Telugu film industry is one of the largest in south India. With the support of the Andhra Pradesh government and the APFCC, the Anti-Video Piracy Cell was instituted in 2005. The cell has since put in place processes and systems to combat content theft and build awareness among government officials, police officials and the general public about the importance of content protection. The alliance between the APFCC and MPDA (India) will work on initiatives to tackle camcording, content theft online and on cable as well as promote public awareness campaigns and education on the importance of content protection.
According to the US India Business Council / Ernst & Young 2008 report on “The Effects of Counterfeiting and Piracy on India’s Entertainment Industry”, the Indian film industry lost US$959 million and 571,896 jobs due to piracy.
Speaking about the devastating effects of movie theft, Uday Singh, Managing Director of MPDA (India) said “Content theft is an organized crime. We recognize and commend the efforts and initiatives undertaken by the APFCC. This alliance will make a difference as it is about stakeholders coming together to promote and protect the film making community in the region and across India.
Speaking on partnerships to combat content theft, Suresh Babu, President of the APFCC said “The Telugu film industry is bearing the brunt of content theft because of camcording activities in theatres and internet piracy. I believe the alliance with MPDA will facilitate knowledge sharing and introducing organized mechanisms to catalyze our efforts in this thriving market. More importantly we hope that the authorities will step up their efforts against these criminals who seek to illegally profit from the blood, sweat and tears of the people in our community.”
“It is the Need of the hour for film industries to come together for the protection of their content. The internet is set to play a VERY dominant role in the coming days of seamless technological convergence, for monetization of content across a world sans boundaries.In this scenario ,it is important that industries collaborate and create efficient mechanisms for content protection. The joint initiatives of MPDA (India) and APFCC are a significant step in that direction”, said Rajkumar, Chairman. Governing Council ,Anti –Video Piracy Cell, AP Film Chamber of Commerce.
The Content Protection Alliance has received support from the Andhra Pradesh State Government. Chief Minister N.Kiran Kumar Reddy has offered government support to further strengthen this alliance.
Advertisement
