MIB authorises CBFC, I&B officers to directly take down pirated content
The ministry has established an institutional mechanism for nodal officers to receive complaints against piracy and issue directions for taking actions
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has established an institutional mechanism for nodal officers to receive complaints against piracy and direct intermediaries to take down pirated content on digital platforms.
At a press conference in Delhi, Apurva Chandra, I&B Secretary said, “This is a concrete step towards curbing piracy. The losses faced by the industry are huge and the losses saved here can be utilised in producing better content, working on better scripts and production costs.”
As of now, there was no institutional mechanism to directly take action on pirated film content, except legal action under the Copyright Act and the IPC.
The above action would allow instant action by MIB in case of piracy and will provide relief to the industry.
After the parliament passed the Cinematograph (Amendment) Act, 1952 during this year’s Monsoon Session, Union Minister Anurag Singh Thakur stated that the Act aimed to curb film piracy, a measure which has been a long-standing demand of the film industry.
The amendment includes strict punishment of minimum of three months’ imprisonment and a fine of Rs 3 lakh, which can be extended up to three years imprisonment and fine of up to 5 per cent of the audited gross production cost.
