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Rajya Sabha
The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has taken several initiatives to mitigate piracy of films such as:
The Indian Institute of Mass Communication has been entrusted with the task of formulating appropriate training modules for police officers regarding anti-piracy work;
This Ministry had brought film producers, multi-service operators and cable operators together, and they had jointly resolved not to exhibit films without valid permission from the copyright holders.
The Cable Television Networks Regulation Act was amended in 2000, enabling the Government to prohibit a cable operator from transmitting or re-transmitting any programme or channel for which he has not been granted a licence by the Copyright holder.
High rates of entertainment tax is seen as providing encouragement to piracy. Recommendation made by the Committee for Development of the Entertainment Sector, a sub committee of the State Information Ministers’ Conference, to fix a realistic ceiling level for entertainment tax to be imposed by the State Governments at 60 per cent met with good response from several States. The Committee has further recommended that the rate could be further lowered to a ceiling of 45 per cent.
In its last meeting, the Committee also recommended appointment of senior police officers in States to work in co-ordination with the entertainment industry, as nodal officers.
During the Budget of 2003-04, audio CDs were exempted from excise duty to do away with the price advantage available to pirated CDs.
The Public Service Broadcasting Trust has been entrusted with the task of making a film on piracy.
The Government has received a proposal to enact an Optical Disc Law and are in consultation with related Departments and the stakeholders regarding the same.
Copyright Enforcement cells have been set in most States/UT Administrations headed by a senior policy officer to deal with offences related to the Copyright Act, 1957.
This information was given by Minister of Information & Broadcasting and Culture, Shri S. Jaipal Reddy in written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
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