Government's Big Decision To Tackle Piracy Threat To Films!

The entertainment industry is one of the biggest sectors in the country and the film industry enjoys a major share in it, be it the reach or the revenue it generates. Despite the strong presence it enjoys, there is an aspect that has been troubling it for a very long time.

Piracy is one troubling thing for the industry. Irrespective of the scale of the film, piracy is troubling the films. Now a big step was taken by the government to tackle piracy and bring down pirated content.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) took a big decision to appoint 12 nodal officers who would look into the piracy content. They will possess the power to take the complaints and bring down the content from the digital platforms.

I&B ministry officers and Central Board of Film Certification officers can block and bring down content in an app or platform. With the new decision the owner of the content can directly reach out to the nodal officers to file a complaint and they will take action.

It has to be mentioned here that the Cinematograph (Amendment) Act, 2023 was passed in the Parliament during the Monsoon sessions to deal with piracy and pirated content. Section 7 (1B) (ii) was added to the act which gives powers to the government to take the required action against piracy.

Now nodal officers were appointed. As per the Cinematograph (Amendment) Act, those who are involved in piracy would face a jail term of 3 months to 3 years, 3 lakhs fine, and five percent of the movie cost as a fine.

The nodal officers work in a way that after receiving the complaint about pirated content they can bring down the content from any platform or app within 48 hours.

With the emergence of OTTs and other platforms, the chances of piracy increased massively, and at a crucial time, the government took a key call to tackle piracy.