Soon Downloading Pirated Movies Could Land You Behind The Bars For 3 Years, Fine Of Rs 10 Lakh
In no time, it is seen or downloaded by millions of people who get it free on their computers and mobile phones, thus, taking away a large sum which should have gone to the makers of the film.
In India, a large section of the society is still not even aware of the fact that downloading movies and music from unauthorized sources like BitTorrent sites are illegal and they could be in trouble for doing it.
There could be more trouble on the way for people downloading pirated movies and music as the government has approved an amendment to the Cinematography Act, 1952, which makes piracy of a film a penal offence.
A Union Cabinet meeting headed by PM Modi on Wednesday cleared the amendment which is aimed at cracking down on online piracy, including the release of pirated versions of films.
The amendments make film piracy offences punishable with imprisonment of up to three years and fines that may extend to Rs 10 lakh or both.
According to the proposed amendment, any person, who without the written authorisation of the copyright owner, uses any recording device to make or transmit a copy of a film, or attempts to do so, or abet the making or transmission of such a copy, will be liable for such a punishment.
If one, without authorisation, undertakes digital duplication of various creative works or by any other means of digital technology, one can be made to suffer three-year jail punishment and Rs 10 lakh fine. This step will help our film industry in dealing with the menace of piracy,” Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Wednesday.
Stricter laws to fight piracy has been a long-standing demand of the Indian film industry. According to a 2018 estimate, the Indian film industry is losing around Rs 190 billion a year due to piracy.
Despite the best efforts from the industry, piracy has only grown in India, from the days of unauthorized copies from prints sent to overseas markets and leaks from production houses. The advancement in technology has only aided the spread, with almost everyone owning a smartphone that can record HD videos, ' theatre prints' gets uploaded on the internet right from the movie halls.
What is even more worrisome is that notorious piracy groups like the Tamil Rockers have teenagers getting the film recorded for them in exchange of a few hundreds of rupees, without knowing the magnitude of the damage they are doing.