Hollywood worried about piracy of its films in India

New Delhi, Oct 30 (UNI) Hollywood is as much worried about piracy of its films in India as Bollywood.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) Dan Glickman said here that the film industry needed strong laws to support copyright and stiff sentences for people who violate those laws.

He welcomed the creation of India's first dedicated court to oversee film piracy cases in Andhra Pradesh.

Besides legal measures, it was very important to develop an understanding in ordinary citizens, the people who love movies, that buying pirated movies hurts the industry and makes it difficult for movie makers to make new films,'' he said in a meeting organised by the Confedration of Indian Industry (CII) here.

''We have created a 'best practices' roadmap for university computer network usage and in many countries MPA and MPA member company executives speak to university students about copyright and its importance, and MPA has created a booklet warning about the risks of peer-to-peer file sharing, which has been distributed to young people, '' said Mr Glickman.

Modulated enforcement, technology, delivery of exciting new services and public education are the essential elements of a graduated approach to fight intellectual property theft, he said.

The evolution of on-demand world and the new and enhanced power of consumer choice are impacting the habits and preferences of the audience, said Mr Glickman.

''Moviemakers must turn out quality movies with compelling and entertaining stories that audiences want to see. We in the industry must anticipate and respond to change, recognising that technology is turning out to offer far more opportunity than adversity'', he added.

Stressing the value of partnership between Hollywood and Bollywood , he said American film producers were forging relationships that they hope would let them tell stories to Indian audiences and Indian filmmakers are hoping to gain global distribution of their own stories.

Amit Khanna, Member, CII Creative Industries Council and Chairman, Reliance Entertainment said India and the US share common perception and provide open market to the international films. India has the largest consumption of movies with 4.8 billion people watching them last year, he said.

''For the first time the US is looking at India as an equal partner and consorted effort can enhance opportunities for the film industry of both the countries,'' said Mr Khanna.

UNI