FICCI Frames 2008: Looking at intellectual property through a 360-degree angle

FICCI Frames 2008 ended with a valedictory session that saw speakers like Ron Somers, President, US Business Council (USIBC); Dr Amit Mitra, Secretary-General, FICCI; actor Ranbir Kapoor; Bobby Bedi, MD, Kaleidoscope; and Yash Chopra, Chairman, FICCI Frames, discuss the importance of intellectual property.

Speaking about anti-piracy, Somers said, “Intellectual property matters due to jobs as 100 per cent jobs depend on IP. In global competitiveness, IP comprises more than half the US exports. However, IP is under attack by NGOs, governments, criminal networks and consumers. We are fighting back as we have a document which explains the value of IP. We have a strong support of IP in India and the US. Now that we have documented the job and revenue losses to the Indian entertainment industry from piracy, we intend to continue fighting piracy across the board. We will strive to bring these findings to the attention of the average person in India. We will attempt to enlist more effectively in the US and worldwide. We strongly support India to pass the optical disc legislation that would thwart piracy in this important industry.”

Kapoor said, “My first film was ‘Saawariya’, and marketing is very pivotal for a film. I and my co-star went to various cities, spoke to various media. We did our own marketing, that’s why we are recognised. I never realised earlier how important finance is for a film. In India we have started to receive finance from Hollywood studios and corporate houses.”

According to Bobby Bedi, “The next big thing is anticipation, identification, tackling bigger issue of creation, protection of IP and successful marketing of low budget films. We are looking at IP through a 360-degree angle. The decision makers are in the age group of 15-35 year old. Example, the ‘Mahabharata’, there are three segments in the new ‘Mahabharta’ – the new generation, latest technology and new media. It took a year to build the team. We are happy that we have all the IP rights of ‘Mahabharata’.”

Khanna observed, “This is a huge and momentous task. The purpose of Frames is to examine state of business globally and in India. India as an economy has reached reflection points. We have a $1.8 trillion million entertainment industry. We are a nation that loves story telling.”

For Chopra, “This year was the biggest and best year for FICCI Frames. I found the sessions very interesting. The only sad part was that not much participation was seen from the film industry.”