Via: "=?UTF-8?Q?Frederick_Noronha?= =?UTF-8?Q?_[=E0=A5=9E=E0=A4=B0?= =?UTF-8?Q?=E0=A5=87=E0=A4=A6=E0=A4=B0=E0=A4=BF=E0=A4=95?= =?UTF-8?Q?_=E0=A4=A8=E0=A5=8B=E0=A4=B0?= =?UTF-8?Q?=E0=A5=8B=E0=A4=A8=E0=A4=AF=E0=A4=BE]?="
http://ebc-india.com/lawyer/articles/2002v5a5.htm
Optical Disc Legislation: A New Tool to Combat Digital Piracy
by Anju Jain*
Cite as : (2002) 5 SCC (Jour) 26
1. Introduction
Distribution of entertainment content on optical media such as compact
discs (CDs) and digital video discs (DVDs) has fed the boom in
worldwide consumption of film, music and entertainment software.
Unfortunately, optical media piracy has become an increasing threat to
these key copyright industries. It is estimated that in Hong Kong
alone the losses to the US Motion Picture Industry due to optical
media piracy of film titles is estimated at US $ 30 million in 1998
and has more than doubled in 1999.2 Countries like Malaysia, Taiwan,
China, Philippines and Macua also encounter high levels of optical
media piracy. These countries have become major export centres for
much of the infringing optical disc products appearing in US, Latin
America and Europe where the VCD/DVD hardware base is growing.3
Till recently, piracy, both analog and digital, has been fought
through the traditional protections offered under copyright laws.
However, optical disc piracy comes with new challenges. An explosion
in the world's capacity to produce optical media products has
accompanied the growing demand for these products.
Unfortunately, production capacity greatly exceeds legitimate demand,
and much of this excess capacity is devoted to unauthorized
production.4 Copyright laws protect content and its unauthorized
copying and distribution. However, this often becomes difficult. For
example distribution of optical products is so rapid that copies of
the film "Dinosaur" which opened in the United States on 19-5-2000
were available days later in Kuala Lumpur's night markets and a month
before its official Malaysian release.5 Therefore a new legal
mechanism, the optical disc regulation, is being adopted in high
piracy regions to combat the problem at the manufacturing stage.
This paper discusses how the new optical disc law seeks to combat
piracy at the manufacturing stage. Beginning with an overview of the
optical disc manufacturing process and the magnitude of the piracy
problem, the paper discusses basic elements of an effective optical
disc law,6 the WTO obligations of member countries in enforcing an
optical disc regulation and lastly, the status of actual
implementation and enforcement of this law in the high piracy
countries.
Via: "=?UTF-8?Q?Frederick_Noronha?= =?UTF-8?Q?_[=E0=A5=9E=E0=A4=B0?= =?UTF-8?Q?=E0=A5=87=E0=A4=A6=E0=A4=B0=E0=A4=BF=E0=A4=95?= =?UTF-8?Q?_=E0=A4=A8=E0=A5=8B=E0=A4=B0?= =?UTF-8?Q?=E0=A5=8B=E0=A4=A8=E0=A4=AF=E0=A4=BE]?="
http://www.business-standard.com/common/news_article.php?tab=r&autono=318000&subLeft=4&leftnm=8
Govt against curbing piracy with policy
FICCI FRAMES 2008
BS Reporters / Mumbai March 26, 2008
In what is viewed as a setback for the film industry's efforts to stop
piracy, the government today rejected the recommendations of the draft
optical disk policy on grounds that it would lead to the creation of a
regime of inspectors, and thus go against the grain of the
liberalisation policy.
For the past few months, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
has been examining the draft optical disc law to check film piracy.
As the draft legislation, which included a code of regulations for
content, is being prepared by FICCI and members of the film industry
with the initiative of the government, a positive response is
expected.
However, addressing the FICCI-Frames 2008 convention here today, Union
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting Secretary Asha Swarup made it
clear that the government was not in favour of implementing the
recommendations.
Acknowledging that the menace of piracy in the entertainment and media
industry was huge, she said the problem had to be tackled by closing
the gaps in the supply. "A possible way," she said, "is to release
films in 'C' and 'D' class towns in digital formats."
Swarup expressed her content with Pakistani films being released in
India and Indian films like Taare Zameen Par making an entry into
Pakistan. She said she hoped that with a new democratic government in
Pakistan, more Indian films would be screened there.
The secretary also emphasised the need to develop content for TV,
especially for children.
Meanwhile, the FICCI-PricewaterhouseCoopers 2008 report, released
today, estimates the industry at Rs 51,300 crore in 2007 - a growth of
17 per cent from Rs 43,800 crore in 2006. The Indian entertainment and
media industry is projected to clock Rs 1,15,000 crore by 2011.
In his address, Yash Chopra, chairman, FICCI Entertainment Committee &
Yash Raj Films, said that Indian cinema had transcended geographical
boundaries. However, he added: "Piracy, IP protection in the animation
segment and censorship are hurdles that the Indian media and
entertainment industry have to overcome."
Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MP and president of FICCI, pointed out that the
industry today had reached a point of critical mass. "I believe this
industry is poised to achieve the scale and size required to have
global value and presence," he said. The challenge for the industry
over the next few years, he said, was to become globally relevant to
the capital markets and investors; relevant to producers and consumers
of entertainment all over the world.
Kunal Dasgupta, co-chairman, FICCI Entertainment Committee & CEO Sony
Entertainment Television, said: "We are in talks with the Academy of
Television Arts and Science in the US, which represents the popular
Emmy Awards, and hopefully we will able to present an Indian version
of the popular Emmy Awards by next year."
Amit Khanna, chairman, Reliance Entertainment & FICCI Convergence
Committee, said new digital technology would reshape the distribution
and exhibition business.
"On-demand entertainment will become a standard industry norm," he said.
* * *
FROM USIBC
Piracy in India's Entertainment Industry Causes Huge Losses to Indian Economy
March 27, 2008 Mumbai, India – The U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC)
has released a new study showing huge job and revenue losses to the
Indian economy as a result of piracy in India's burgeoning
entertainment industry. The study– 'The Effects of Counterfeiting and
Piracy on India's Entertainment Industry'– prepared for USIBC by Ernst
&Young India, shows as much as Rs. 16,000 crores are lost each year
due to piracy. As many as 800,000 direct jobs are also lost as a
result of theft and piracy, afflicting India's entertainment industry.
Speaking at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry
(FICCI) FRAMES 'Business of Entertainment' Conference, USIBC
President, Ron Somers, said, "This study estimates that the Indian
entertainment industry loses some 820,000 jobs and about $4 billion
each year to piracy. This is an enormous and unacceptable magnitude of
loss – by any measure."
The piracy study was commissioned as part of the USIBC-FICCI
Bollywood-Hollywood Initiative. "This study covers film, music,
television and video games and has been funded by the Global
Intellectual Property Center of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which
aims to highlight the value of intellectual property, as well as
illuminate the adverse impact theft and piracy have on creativity and
innovation. The Bollywood-Hollywood Initiative promotes the
sustainable growth and convergence underway between the entertainment
industries in both our countries."
Presented with a copy of the study, FICCI Secretary General, Dr. Amit
Mitra, said, "This study shows that the best way to make the boom in
the Indian entertainment bigger is to stop the affliction of piracy.
For the average Indian who wants to increase his or her chances for
being employed in Bollywood and associated industries, fighting piracy
is a place where all our collective efforts must start." Dr. Mitra
went on to point out, "The Media and Entertainment industry in India
is an industry of the future. India's entertainment industry already
generates more than $11 billion annually for the country, growing at a
combined annual rate of over 18%. If we can stop piracy, these
industries will grow even faster and employ more Indian workers."
Also present at the media briefing was Ramesh Sippy, famed producer
and director of the all-time number-one blockbuster 'Sholay'. Sippy
said, "I know first hand the importance of fighting piracy to support
the growth of Bollywood. I commend the USIBC-FICCI Initiative for
enlisting all elements of the entertainment industry against piracy."
Farokh T. Balsara, National Sector Leader, Media and Entertainment for
Ernst & Young-India, said, "Our Mumbai office collected data for this
study from on the ground – via direct interviews with stakeholders
from the Bollywood entertainment industry. We looked at the industry
from every angle – films, music, TV, radio, and electronic games. The
story was the same across the board: if we can slow or stop piracy, a
direct correlation in the generation of wealth and employment will be
the result."
Commenting on the USIBC-FICCI Bollywood-Hollywood Initiative, USIBC
President Ron Somers said, "This study is only the beginning. Now that
we have documented the job and revenue losses to the Indian
entertainment industry from piracy, we intend to continue fighting
piracy across the board. We will strive to bring these findings to
the attention of the average person in India. We will attempt to
enlist more effectively the U.S. and Indian governments to cooperate
in fighting the scourge of piracy in India, as well as in the U.S. and
worldwide. We strongly support passage by India of optical disc
legislation that will thwart piracy in this important industry. We are
pleased to stand shoulder to shoulder with counterparts in India to
help protect jobs and revenues that are now being needlessly lost to
piracy."
Also previewed at FICCI FRAMES as a part of the Bollywood-Hollywood
Initiative was 'Illicit – The Dark Trade' – a special documentary that
airs world-wide, produced by National Geographic for the U.S. Chamber
of Commerce's Global Intellectual Property Center. This
made-for-television documentary shows that the problem of piracy is an
epidemic affecting many sectors of world-wide dimensions.
The U.S.-India Business Council, formed in 1975 at the request of the
Government of India and the U.S. Government to advance U.S.-India
commercial ties, is hosted under the aegis of the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business
federation representing more than 3 million businesses and
organizations of every size, sector, and region. The U.S.-India
Business Council celebrates its 33rd Anniversary at the U.S. Chamber
of Commerce on June 12, 2008 in Washington, D.C.
Via: "Patrice Riemens"
Always a pity business journalists don't ask BSA honchos about their views
on F/OSS. My best guess is that, if asked in a sophisticated way, you may
elicit responses showing that basically, they would advocate making F/OSS
illegal. ("Use F/OSS, Go to Jail!")
Another disgrace is that they never question the standard BSA
pronouncement to the effect that software firms loose "billions" to
piracy, whereas in a majority of cases, the only substitute to 'piracy' is
a non-sale. This is proven a contario eg in Argentina, where proprietary
software is _not_ protected, yet most firms still pay for the licences.
Finally, BSA never had any adequate answer to the fact that their FUD
brainwashing systematically results in "license creep", with people &
firms wasting large amounts of money on licenses for software they never
use, or sometimes, are not even aware of.
BSA is an obnoxious avatar of a vicious system!
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/ew/2008/03/10/stories/2008031050110300.htm
>
> Pirate watch
>
> Business Software Alliance on its initiatives in India.
>
>
>
> Lizum Mishra, Director of BSA India
>
> Ambar Singh Roy
>
> The Business Software Alliance (BSA), established in 1988, is an
> organisation dedicated to promoting a safe and legal digital world. It
> has been the voice of the world's commercial software industry before
> governments and in the international marketplace. It has presence in
> over 60 countries across the globe and its members represent one of
> the fastest-growing industries globally.
>
> The Alliance is focused on making the end-user aware of the
> repercussions of pirated software, through education, awareness
> campaigns and enforcement of the law. Its Software Asset Management
> (SAM) programme encourages members to treat software as an asset to
> the organisation and a vital intellectual property.
>
> In an interview to eWorld, Lizum Mishra, Director of BSA India, dwelt
> on several issues, including the need to lower software piracy in
> India from its current level of 71 per cent. Excerpts:
>
> What is the estimated size of the global pirated software industry?
>
> According to the annual study conducted by BSA, global personal
> computer software piracy was 35 per cent in 2006. It has remained the
> same for the last three years. However, it is important to note that
> the losses from piracy have gone up by $5 billion in 2006 from 2005
> levels.
>
> How does BSA implement its mandate and how does it equip companies to
> treat software as an asset?
>
> We have a three-pronged mandate to combat piracy â enforcement,
> education and actively advocating continuous policy development around
> the world and working closely with members.
>
> BSA's member companies formulate critical industry policy positions.
> Besides, we operate hotlines around the world for callers seeking
> information about piracy or who wish to report suspected incidents of
> software piracy. We take action against software resellers and
> end-user organisations that make unauthorised copies of software and
> work with law enforcement agencies for enforcement of criminal
> copyright laws.
>
> We develop and make available information and tools to software users,
> including resellers, businesses, consumers and students. BSA's
> programmes educate decision-makers in organisations on the legal
> consequences and potentially high cost of illegal software usage as
> well as online safety issues.
>
> Do you guide/educate companies on software asset management (SAM) as a
> tool to enhance productivity?
>
> We conduct software asset management seminars to educate enterprises
> that legal software is an asset and there is a need to manage it well.
> Through these seminars, weaim to create awareness of how SAM can lead
> to savings in terms of costs and time and how it can lead to increased
> productivity.
>
> On the Indian sceneâ¦
>
> In India, we are committed to reducing software piracy. According to
> the latest IDC report, India spent $16.1 billion on information
> technology products, packaged software and IT services in 2007. That
> spending accounted for 1.6 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP),
> supported more than 34,000 IT companies that employ more than 7,66,000
> people and helped generate $1.1 billion in IT-related taxes. As the
> number of PCs and Internet usage grows, software piracy is growing
> too. BSA believes new technologies should enhance ways to access and
> distribute copyrighted works legally. Piracy not only deprives
> software developers of a return on their investment but it also cuts
> jobs in related businesses, hurts the economy and deprives the
> consumer of new products.
>
> In addition to our hotline service, we have a team of legal counsels
> who represent BSA in taking forward civil enforcement actions and
> sending legal notices to companies that use illegal software.
>
> BSA and its member companies conduct training programmes for the
> judiciary and law enforcement officers too.
>
> We also conduct an annual global piracy study in association with
> research body IDC, which helps in understanding how piracy leads to
> revenue and manpower losses and impacts the world economy.
>
> How responsive are governments globally? What is your experience with
> India?
>
> Although India does have one of the most stringent copyright laws in
> the world, there are a lot of tasks that need to be initiated. There
> is an urgent need to take steps to reduce piracy at a faster pace and
> BSA would urge the Government of India to increase public education
> and awareness, implement the WIPO Copyright Treaty, create strong and
> workable enforcement mechanisms as required by TRIPS and step up
> enforcement with dedicated resources.
>
> How many member-companies does BSA have in India and what steps have
> they collectively taken to curb software piracy?
>
> BSA members include companies such as Microsoft, Adobe, Apple,
> Autodesk, Dell, EMC, HP, IBM, Intel, Cisco Systems, Corel, Quark, SAP,
> Solid Works and Symantec and all of them have significant operations
> and investments in India.
>
> Together with its members, BSA programmes foster technology innovation
> through education and policy initiatives that promote copyright
> protection, cyber security, trade, and e-commerce.
>
> If India's software piracy rate has been pegged at 71 per cent, what
> is the global average?
>
> While the average global piracy rate is 35 per cent for software used
> on PCs, in India it is 71 per cent. In 2004, the piracy rate was 74
> per cent, which dropped to 71 per cent in 2006. The global piracy
> study estimates that a 10 percentage-point drop in piracy in India
> from 74 per cent to 64 per cent over four years would result in 43,696
> new jobs and an addition of $3.1 billion to the GDP.
>
> ambar_singhroy@rediffmail.com
>
> * * *
>
> FIGHT 'PIRACY', EARN FREEDOM, USE FREE SOFTWARE
> --
> ----------------------------------------------------------
> Frederick 'FN' Noronha | Ym/Gmailtalk: fredericknoronha
> http://fn.goa-india.org | fred@bytesforall.org
> Independent Journalist | +91(832)2409490 Cell 9970157402
> ----------------------------------------------------------
> _______________________________________________
> commons-law mailing list
> commons-law@sarai.net
> https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/commons-law
>
>
Via: "Prashant Iyengar"
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/03/27/stories/2008032752920400.htm Back
New Delhi
News channel restrained
Staff Reporter
NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has restrained Malayalam entertainment
and news channel Amrita TV from using the literary and musical works
of Super Cassettes Industries Limited without obtaining a licence from
the latter.
Justice Hima Kohli passed the restraint order on a suit by Super
Cassettes Industries accusing Amrita TV of using the sound recordings
and its other works in various programmes beamed on the channel
without obtaining a prior licence from it.
Counsel for the plaintiff submitted that his client had kept a close
watch on the programmes beamed by the channel all through November
last year and found that it was using its musical works in violation
of its copyright on them despite a legal notice served on it earlier.
Restraining the channel from using the works of the plaintiff, Justice
Kohli said: "The plaintiff has prima facie made out a case for grant
of an ex-parte ad-interim injunction in its favour."
The Court also issued summons to the defendants.
(c) Copyright 2000 - 2008 The Hindu
Via: "Prashant Iyengar"
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/03/27/stories/2008032753230500.htm Back
Karnataka - Bangalore
Nudi software: court asks Government if uniform standards can be applied
Staff Reporter
BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday sought to know from
the State Government why it could not prescribe uniform standards for
bilingual fonts for developing software in Kannada.
The court was dealing with a petition by some software companies that
had questioned the rationale of the Government going in for Nudi
software for e-governance.
They claimed that Nudi is creating a monopoly and stifling
competition. They said there is no scientific basis for the State to
prefer Nudi over other compatible softwares.
The Government argued that Nudi was a free software and that it was
essentially being used by Government departments. It said it was the
best among the softwares available.
An official of the Department of e-governance, who was present in the
court, said more developed and sophisticated tools are now available.
Justice A.S. Bopanna, who is hearing the petition, asked why it could
not formulate a uniform bilingual font. He asked the State to look
into the suggestion.
(c) Copyright 2000 - 2008 The Hindu
Via: "=?UTF-8?Q?Frederick_Noronha?= =?UTF-8?Q?_[=E0=A5=9E=E0=A4=B0?= =?UTF-8?Q?=E0=A5=87=E0=A4=A6=E0=A4=B0=E0=A4=BF=E0=A4=95?= =?UTF-8?Q?_=E0=A4=A8=E0=A5=8B=E0=A4=B0?= =?UTF-8?Q?=E0=A5=8B=E0=A4=A8=E0=A4=AF=E0=A4=BE]?="
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/ew/2008/03/10/stories/2008031050110300.htm
Pirate watch
Business Software Alliance on its initiatives in India.
Lizum Mishra, Director of BSA India
Ambar Singh Roy
The Business Software Alliance (BSA), established in 1988, is an
organisation dedicated to promoting a safe and legal digital world. It
has been the voice of the world's commercial software industry before
governments and in the international marketplace. It has presence in
over 60 countries across the globe and its members represent one of
the fastest-growing industries globally.
The Alliance is focused on making the end-user aware of the
repercussions of pirated software, through education, awareness
campaigns and enforcement of the law. Its Software Asset Management
(SAM) programme encourages members to treat software as an asset to
the organisation and a vital intellectual property.
In an interview to eWorld, Lizum Mishra, Director of BSA India, dwelt
on several issues, including the need to lower software piracy in
India from its current level of 71 per cent. Excerpts:
What is the estimated size of the global pirated software industry?
According to the annual study conducted by BSA, global personal
computer software piracy was 35 per cent in 2006. It has remained the
same for the last three years. However, it is important to note that
the losses from piracy have gone up by $5 billion in 2006 from 2005
levels.
How does BSA implement its mandate and how does it equip companies to
treat software as an asset?
We have a three-pronged mandate to combat piracy — enforcement,
education and actively advocating continuous policy development around
the world and working closely with members.
BSA's member companies formulate critical industry policy positions.
Besides, we operate hotlines around the world for callers seeking
information about piracy or who wish to report suspected incidents of
software piracy. We take action against software resellers and
end-user organisations that make unauthorised copies of software and
work with law enforcement agencies for enforcement of criminal
copyright laws.
We develop and make available information and tools to software users,
including resellers, businesses, consumers and students. BSA's
programmes educate decision-makers in organisations on the legal
consequences and potentially high cost of illegal software usage as
well as online safety issues.
Do you guide/educate companies on software asset management (SAM) as a
tool to enhance productivity?
We conduct software asset management seminars to educate enterprises
that legal software is an asset and there is a need to manage it well.
Through these seminars, weaim to create awareness of how SAM can lead
to savings in terms of costs and time and how it can lead to increased
productivity.
On the Indian scene…
In India, we are committed to reducing software piracy. According to
the latest IDC report, India spent $16.1 billion on information
technology products, packaged software and IT services in 2007. That
spending accounted for 1.6 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP),
supported more than 34,000 IT companies that employ more than 7,66,000
people and helped generate $1.1 billion in IT-related taxes. As the
number of PCs and Internet usage grows, software piracy is growing
too. BSA believes new technologies should enhance ways to access and
distribute copyrighted works legally. Piracy not only deprives
software developers of a return on their investment but it also cuts
jobs in related businesses, hurts the economy and deprives the
consumer of new products.
In addition to our hotline service, we have a team of legal counsels
who represent BSA in taking forward civil enforcement actions and
sending legal notices to companies that use illegal software.
BSA and its member companies conduct training programmes for the
judiciary and law enforcement officers too.
We also conduct an annual global piracy study in association with
research body IDC, which helps in understanding how piracy leads to
revenue and manpower losses and impacts the world economy.
How responsive are governments globally? What is your experience with India?
Although India does have one of the most stringent copyright laws in
the world, there are a lot of tasks that need to be initiated. There
is an urgent need to take steps to reduce piracy at a faster pace and
BSA would urge the Government of India to increase public education
and awareness, implement the WIPO Copyright Treaty, create strong and
workable enforcement mechanisms as required by TRIPS and step up
enforcement with dedicated resources.
How many member-companies does BSA have in India and what steps have
they collectively taken to curb software piracy?
BSA members include companies such as Microsoft, Adobe, Apple,
Autodesk, Dell, EMC, HP, IBM, Intel, Cisco Systems, Corel, Quark, SAP,
Solid Works and Symantec and all of them have significant operations
and investments in India.
Together with its members, BSA programmes foster technology innovation
through education and policy initiatives that promote copyright
protection, cyber security, trade, and e-commerce.
If India's software piracy rate has been pegged at 71 per cent, what
is the global average?
While the average global piracy rate is 35 per cent for software used
on PCs, in India it is 71 per cent. In 2004, the piracy rate was 74
per cent, which dropped to 71 per cent in 2006. The global piracy
study estimates that a 10 percentage-point drop in piracy in India
from 74 per cent to 64 per cent over four years would result in 43,696
new jobs and an addition of $3.1 billion to the GDP.
ambar_singhroy@rediffmail.com
* * *
FIGHT 'PIRACY', EARN FREEDOM, USE FREE SOFTWARE
Via: "=?UTF-8?Q?Frederick_Noronha?= =?UTF-8?Q?_[=E0=A5=9E=E0=A4=B0?= =?UTF-8?Q?=E0=A5=87=E0=A4=A6=E0=A4=B0=E0=A4=BF=E0=A4=95?= =?UTF-8?Q?_=E0=A4=A8=E0=A5=8B=E0=A4=B0?= =?UTF-8?Q?=E0=A5=8B=E0=A4=A8=E0=A4=AF=E0=A4=BE]?="
http://www.business-standard.com/common/news_article.php?tab=r&autono=318000&subLeft=4&leftnm=8
Govt against curbing piracy with policy
FICCI FRAMES 2008
BS Reporters / Mumbai March 26, 2008
In what is viewed as a setback for the film industry's efforts to stop
piracy, the government today rejected the recommendations of the draft
optical disk policy on grounds that it would lead to the creation of a
regime of inspectors, and thus go against the grain of the
liberalisation policy.
For the past few months, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
has been examining the draft optical disc law to check film piracy.
As the draft legislation, which included a code of regulations for
content, is being prepared by FICCI and members of the film industry
with the initiative of the government, a positive response is
expected.
However, addressing the FICCI-Frames 2008 convention here today, Union
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting Secretary Asha Swarup made it
clear that the government was not in favour of implementing the
recommendations.
Acknowledging that the menace of piracy in the entertainment and media
industry was huge, she said the problem had to be tackled by closing
the gaps in the supply. "A possible way," she said, "is to release
films in 'C' and 'D' class towns in digital formats."
Swarup expressed her content with Pakistani films being released in
India and Indian films like Taare Zameen Par making an entry into
Pakistan. She said she hoped that with a new democratic government in
Pakistan, more Indian films would be screened there.
The secretary also emphasised the need to develop content for TV,
especially for children.
Meanwhile, the FICCI-PricewaterhouseCoopers 2008 report, released
today, estimates the industry at Rs 51,300 crore in 2007 - a growth of
17 per cent from Rs 43,800 crore in 2006. The Indian entertainment and
media industry is projected to clock Rs 1,15,000 crore by 2011.
In his address, Yash Chopra, chairman, FICCI Entertainment Committee &
Yash Raj Films, said that Indian cinema had transcended geographical
boundaries. However, he added: "Piracy, IP protection in the animation
segment and censorship are hurdles that the Indian media and
entertainment industry have to overcome."
Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MP and president of FICCI, pointed out that the
industry today had reached a point of critical mass. "I believe this
industry is poised to achieve the scale and size required to have
global value and presence," he said. The challenge for the industry
over the next few years, he said, was to become globally relevant to
the capital markets and investors; relevant to producers and consumers
of entertainment all over the world.
Kunal Dasgupta, co-chairman, FICCI Entertainment Committee & CEO Sony
Entertainment Television, said: "We are in talks with the Academy of
Television Arts and Science in the US, which represents the popular
Emmy Awards, and hopefully we will able to present an Indian version
of the popular Emmy Awards by next year."
Amit Khanna, chairman, Reliance Entertainment & FICCI Convergence
Committee, said new digital technology would reshape the distribution
and exhibition business.
"On-demand entertainment will become a standard industry norm," he said.
Via: "=?UTF-8?Q?Frederick_Noronha?= =?UTF-8?Q?_[=E0=A5=9E=E0=A4=B0?= =?UTF-8?Q?=E0=A5=87=E0=A4=A6=E0=A4=B0=E0=A4=BF=E0=A4=95?= =?UTF-8?Q?_=E0=A4=A8=E0=A5=8B=E0=A4=B0?= =?UTF-8?Q?=E0=A5=8B=E0=A4=A8=E0=A4=AF=E0=A4=BE]?="
