Indian industry group to curb piracy in entertainment

Friday, 17 October 2003, 19:30 IST
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NEW DELHI: One of India's leading industry lobby groups Thursday announced the launch of a major initiative to curb rampant piracy in the entertainment sector. The PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) plans to set up a committee, which will be headed by a retired senior police official, to spearhead "the war against the menace of piracy" in the domestic entertainment industry. According to industry sources, the Indian film and music industry loses around 20 billion and 7 billion respectively every year due to piracy in India. "Piracy doesn't help anybody. Consumers get poor quality products, producer gets sharply lower returns on his investments and government loses revenues," said Jaspal Singh Sawhney, chairman (entertainment committee) of PHDCCI. "This menace is completely destroying the entertainment industry and benefiting only a few people. If we don't take urgent steps to check this now, growth in the industry will be badly affected," Sawhney told a press conference here. The official said the industry lobby group would work closely with all stakeholders in the entertainment industry to bring a collective focus and create a national awakening against piracy. "We already have laws in our country to take pirates to task but they are seldom implemented in the absence of public awareness about piracy and the harm it can cause to the country's economy," said Sawhney. Sandeep Marwah, co-chairman (entertainment committee) of PHDCCI, said that with the rapid advancements in technology, it was becoming easier for those involved in piracy to copy films and music illegally and market them. "The increased number of compact discs and sophisticated technology that enables a single optical disc to hold a number of films and music numbers has made piracy a very profitable business," said Marwah. He said the committee would encourage the public at large to register complaints against pirated products to the police, who would in turn take appropriate legal measures against the offenders.
Source: IANS