Piracy in India causes losses in excess of Rs 1700 crores annually, Shabana Azmi, MP. Rajya Sabha (in a letter to Deputy Prime Minister Shri L.K. Advani);                                              We must take a Pledge that we have to eradicate this piracy which has its tenticles spreading to the society, Qamar Ahmed, Addl. Comm. of Police. New Delhi (in an address to Delhi Police on 22nd April 2002);                                                             The copyrights Act is a very important act and a proper and effective implementation of the act is bound to help the growth and development of our social and economic life, V. V. BHASKER (DG and IGP, Govt. of Karnataka)

MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION (MPA) LAUNCHES REWARDS PROGRAM TO COMBAT THE EXPLODING LEVEL OF CD-R/DVD-R PIRACY IN INDIA

Anti-Piracy War Chest Announced to Garner Co-Operation Among Consumers in the Fight against CD-R/DVD-R Piracy

India/Encino, CA – The Motion Picture Association (MPA) shall formally announced today a new rewards program to combat the escalating problem of illegal Compact Disc – Recordable (CD-R) / Digital Versatile Disc – Recordable (DVD-R) manufacturing in India. Through cooperation with Lall & Sethi, Advocates the MPA has put in place a rewards war chest to battle CD-R/DVD-R pirates that are widespread in the country today. The objective of the program is to provide incentives for the public to come forward with information leading to successful raids on illegal or unauthorized CD-R/DVD-R labs or operations in cities of Delhi and Mumbai. Reward payments will be available based on the verifiable impact and success of the raids resulting from concrete information received from informants.

Mike Ellis, Vice President and Regional Director, Anti-Piracy, MPA, said, “Our industry is determined to fight the increasing problem of piracy and the CD-R/DVD-R rewards initiative will supplement our ongoing work in the country. We are hopeful that offering this reward program will encourage people who are aware of pirate operations to come forward and make a report on our confidential hotline.”

CD-R Labs in India are a growing problem and seizures in 2002 amount to 270 CD-R burners.  Optical disc piracy disrupts the legitimate marketplace at every point in the distribution cycle including the theatrical, home video, rental or satellite and cable release of movies.

“Piracy needs to be recognized as the debilitating socio-economic crime that it is.  This criminal act needs to be addressed on many different levels – from educating consumers about the problem and how it negatively impacts them, the  society, the economy, to enforcing tougher penalties that make pirate activities less financially attractive,” Mr. Ellis said.

To report CD-R/DVD-R piracy, callers should contact the anti-piracy hotline at (011) 5164 3707 or via e-mail on info@filmpiracy.com.  The confidential hotline is operational 24-hours a day.

About the MPA:

The MPA represents major United States motion picture companies in the international marketplace.  On behalf of its member companies, the MPA directs comprehensive international anti-piracy cases, provides assistance in the criminal and civil litigation generated by such investigations and conduct education outreach programs regarding the harmful effects of piracy.  The MPA directs its worldwide anti-piracy activities from its headquarters based in Encino, California.  Regional offices are also located in Brussels (Europe, Middle East and Africa), Mexico (Latin America) and Hong Kong (Asia/Pacific).  Worldwide, MPA anti-piracy activities have transformed entire markets from pirate to legitimate, benefiting video distributors, retailers, and both foreign and local filmmakers.

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