Ketan Mehta for urgent attention to tackle digital rights issues

Mumbai, Sep 13 (UNI) Noted filmmaker Ketan Mehta today gave a call for an urgent attention of copyright owners towards electronic and digital rights issues.

Addressing the second edition of Confederation of Indian Industry's (CII) legal workshop series here today, organised by the CII, he said the industry was passing through a revolution with the emergence of new technologies in the form of electronic and digital media. However, the innovators cannot foresee all its future uses.

Hence, he gave a call for an urgent attention of copyright owners towards electronic and digital rights issues.

He also outlined the need of working out strategies so as to face the challenges that have been posed by the emergence of new technologies in the entertainment and media industry.

Sharing his own experience of 'Maya Memsaheb', which was co-produced by him with Film Four International in 90s, Mr Mehta said, ''I had sold the entire video rights of the film to a single firm.'' But the era has changed today as there are so many rights relating to the film selling, which can fetch good price to the filmmaker, he said and added that it would be possible only when new laws are enacted in this direction.

''As a movie creator, we are facing challenges with the advent of new technologies. Hence, we are constantly working on new technologies to face the same,'' he noted.

Poorvi Chothani, an advocate who is also a partner in LawQuest, outlined the shortcomings in the existing laws on the subject and suggested various measures to make them more effective.

She stressed that penalties must be increased to the violators of the laws on the lines of the laws prevailing in USA.

Among the significant personalities who were present on the occasion included CII Mobile VAS Taskforce chairman and Indiagames CEO Vishal Gondal, Mohit Kapoor, a partner in Universal Legal Advocates, and Sanjay Tandon of Reliance Infocomm.

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