USIBC chip in to stop piracy in Bollywood

Washington, May 18: The US-India Business Council (USIBC) has announced a contract with the Indian arm of Ernst&Young as the next step in its ''Bollywood-Hollywood'' anti-piracy initiative.

Announcing the contract, USIBC president Ron Somers said, ''We are very pleased to have Ernst&Young as colleagues in India for the next step of the ''Bollywood-Hollywood'' anti-piracy initiative.

Since USIBC rolled out this initiative with our partners the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), USIBC has been deluged with interest in how the US and India can work together to stop piracy in the entertainment and media industry. The contract with Ernst&Young in India is the logical next step.'' Ernst&Young will produce a professional study showing just how harmful entertainment and media piracy is to India, focusing on the harm to Indian employment and tax revenue, as well as the Indian citizens who work in this worldwide industry, he said.

Greg Kalbaugh, Director of Intellectual Property for the USIBC, will oversee the study.

''We are delighted to work with Ernst&Young. Showing just how much India is hurt by entertainment and media piracy will set the stage for cooperation in anti-piracy public service advertising, passage of optical disc legislation, and US-India cooperation in stopping cross-border piracy,'' Mr Kalbaugh said.

USIBC pledges to work in the near-term to halt piracy of Indian films right here in our backyard. How can we credibly hope to shine the torchlight on piracy in India if we ignore piracy of Indian films here at home, Mr Somers said adding that USIBC will provide responsible leadership of this initiative against all piracy of Indian entertainment, whether in India or America.

UNI