Barbara Mori was not the only foreign body to ensure a reasonable audience for 'Kites'. Just before the almost-Mexican film released in May, a coalition of Hollywood and Bollywood studios clandestinely divided Mumbai into various geographical zones. Each zone was planted with a set of enforcement consultants, who made sure that at least for the first five days, the city found no pirated DVDs of 'Kites'. This level of non-availability is extremely difficult to sustain, according to American desi Rajiv Dalal, the managing director of Motion Pictures Distributors Association (MPDA) and member of this coalition which was recently christened AACT or Alliance Against Copyright Theft.
Over a year after the MPDA tied up with Bollywood studios and resolutely embarked on the seemingly impossible mission of fighting piracy, AACT can boast not just a number of jobless pirates or an inspiring comic book but also of a helpline number which is being flashed in the ads of 'I Hate Luv Storys'. This toll-free number, where anyone from India can report a copyright theft, is just one of many weapons in their inevitable battle against piracy in the country, says Dalal in an interview with TOI.
How exactly does the toll-free number work?
Anybody from India, who spots a pirated DVD stall, can call on the number 1800-103-1919, even anonymously. The person manning the helpline will immediately SMS or email the enforcement consultant in the said location, who will then take action. They are operating currently in Mumbai, Thane, Ahmedabad, Delhi and the NCR region.
Have you personally come across piracy in India?
Of course. One distinct memory I have is from the initial days of MPDA in India when I was visiting various studios. Here, I saw that even within the premises of these studios, pirated DVDs were being sold floor to floor.
What's the toughest part of fighting piracy here?
It's the lack of awareness within the industry and among consumers. Piracy is often seen as a victimless crime, something that's not harming the well-being of society. We have to change that perception.
Does the film industry understand piracy?
The industry only recognises hard goods or DVD piracy. It's not aware of the extent of damage caused by camcorder and internet piracy. India is eighth among the top ten countries in online piracy, despite its low internet penetration. 'Kaminey', for instance, was downloaded over three lakh times in the opening week itself. In a ten-week survey we conducted, we found that most of the major Hindi titles were out within an average of two days after the first screening and made available on the net. When 3G technology gains ground here, the number of illicit downloads will spike exponentially.
How bad is the film and TV content piracy in India?
A study by the US-India Business Council says the Indian film industry lost $959 million and over 5 lakh jobs to piracy. Television suffered heavier losses (2.6 billion dollars).
Why AACT?
The name resonated. Also, as a Hollywood-Bollywood coalition with a purpose, we needed a legal identity. What's the strategy adopted by AACT to fight piracy?
We take a multi-pronged approach to piracy — be it hard goods, internet or camcorder piracy. The key is to raise awareness through education. Recently, we launched a comic book on the dangers of p2p-file-sharing for kids (5 to 15 years) at the primary school level. This is when their minds are impressionable. We have even got the nod from HRD ministry to include it in the curriculum. We are also tying up with internet service providers, and lobbying for them to have the authority to issue notices and take action against illegal file-sharing.
What about camcorder piracy?
Globally, 90% of infringement starts with sneaking in a camcorder on the opening night. So, in Sept last year, we launched the Make A Difference campaign. Here, we approached multiplexes and handed out manuals which told employees what to do when they spotted a camcorder pirate.
Over a year after the MPDA tied up with Bollywood studios and resolutely embarked on the seemingly impossible mission of fighting piracy, AACT can boast not just a number of jobless pirates or an inspiring comic book but also of a helpline number which is being flashed in the ads of 'I Hate Luv Storys'. This toll-free number, where anyone from India can report a copyright theft, is just one of many weapons in their inevitable battle against piracy in the country, says Dalal in an interview with TOI.
How exactly does the toll-free number work?
Anybody from India, who spots a pirated DVD stall, can call on the number 1800-103-1919, even anonymously. The person manning the helpline will immediately SMS or email the enforcement consultant in the said location, who will then take action. They are operating currently in Mumbai, Thane, Ahmedabad, Delhi and the NCR region.
Have you personally come across piracy in India?
Of course. One distinct memory I have is from the initial days of MPDA in India when I was visiting various studios. Here, I saw that even within the premises of these studios, pirated DVDs were being sold floor to floor.
What's the toughest part of fighting piracy here?
It's the lack of awareness within the industry and among consumers. Piracy is often seen as a victimless crime, something that's not harming the well-being of society. We have to change that perception.
Does the film industry understand piracy?
The industry only recognises hard goods or DVD piracy. It's not aware of the extent of damage caused by camcorder and internet piracy. India is eighth among the top ten countries in online piracy, despite its low internet penetration. 'Kaminey', for instance, was downloaded over three lakh times in the opening week itself. In a ten-week survey we conducted, we found that most of the major Hindi titles were out within an average of two days after the first screening and made available on the net. When 3G technology gains ground here, the number of illicit downloads will spike exponentially.
How bad is the film and TV content piracy in India?
A study by the US-India Business Council says the Indian film industry lost $959 million and over 5 lakh jobs to piracy. Television suffered heavier losses (2.6 billion dollars).
Why AACT?
The name resonated. Also, as a Hollywood-Bollywood coalition with a purpose, we needed a legal identity. What's the strategy adopted by AACT to fight piracy?
We take a multi-pronged approach to piracy — be it hard goods, internet or camcorder piracy. The key is to raise awareness through education. Recently, we launched a comic book on the dangers of p2p-file-sharing for kids (5 to 15 years) at the primary school level. This is when their minds are impressionable. We have even got the nod from HRD ministry to include it in the curriculum. We are also tying up with internet service providers, and lobbying for them to have the authority to issue notices and take action against illegal file-sharing.
What about camcorder piracy?
Globally, 90% of infringement starts with sneaking in a camcorder on the opening night. So, in Sept last year, we launched the Make A Difference campaign. Here, we approached multiplexes and handed out manuals which told employees what to do when they spotted a camcorder pirate.
