US consul general Paul A Folmsbee said, "This is an important collaboration because it is time we get more aggressive to curb piracy."
US India Business Council and Ernst & Young report for 2008, titled 'The Effects of Counterfeiting and Piracy on India's Entertainment Industry' states that Indian film industry has lost 5,71,896 jobs and $959 million owing to piracy.
The MPA, which has companies like Paramount Pictures Corporation, Sony Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox and Warner Bros Pictures International as members, is anxious because PricewaterhouseCoopers estimates that the Indian film industry will grow to $3.6 billion by 2012. Box office collections are expected to grow at 11%, overseas collections at 19% and home video at 15% per year.
The MPA, which directs a comprehensive worldwide anti-piracy programme, has joined hands with Mukesh Bhatt of Vishesh Films; Bhatt is chairperson of the Producers' Guild and Core Committee.
Rajiv P Dalal, director of MPA India, added, "We are looking to join hands with the local industry. Piracy is not just buying and selling of illegal prints. The Internet, downloadable media, streaming media, unauthorised recordings in theatres, theatrical print thefts, signal theft by cable channels and unauthorised public performances with the content are also forms of piracy, and we intend to check all these. We are also campaigning for optical disk legislation before the ministry of Information & Broadcasting, but as of now, it has not been passed."
Bhatt added, "I will lobby hard to get the film fraternity to join this initiative. The government has to pass this legislation or take drastic steps to protect us. We pay the highest entertainment tax, and if piracy is checked, we will profit more. That directly means more money for the government." MPA president and managing director, Asia Pacific region, Michael C Ellis, said, "Hong Kong, Indonesia and Malaysia have passed optical disk legislation and piracy has reduced drastically."
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