Experts call for reforms in piracy laws

New Delhi, Aug 3: Film personalities and experts have stressed on the need to fight the menace of piracy by adopting a specific strategy.

Speaking at a round table discussion on 'Piracy and its Impact on the Film Industry', Tamil cine star Suriya appealed to the judiciary, the state and consumers to come together against piracy.

He was speaking at the discussion organised by Jindal Global Law School (JGLS) and Centre for Intellectual Property and Technology Law (CIPTEL) at O P Jindal Global University campus.

"It is alarming that the piracy industry in size is larger than the film industry," he said while sharing figures from a FICCI report that as against the industry size of Rs 13,820 crore the piracy industry size was Rs 18,000 crore.

"We require a strategy and all stakeholders need to come together. The state, the judiciary, the industry and consumers need to join hands to fight this battle against piracy," the actor, who was the chief guest at the event, said. Expressing similar view, actor and MP George Baker said, "As Indians, let's try to inculcate honesty in whatever we do, including judicious use of technology to curb piracy."

Emphasising on the need to engage with lawmakers to handle the problem, C Raj Kumar, Vice Chancellor of O P Jindal Global University, said, "The purpose today is to collectively create a position paper that will help us draft legislature and better engage with law makers and government in a more rigorous manner."

The discussion was also attended by former CBI Director Ashwini Kumar, senior advocate K T S Tulsi and several others from the media/film industry. All speakers present during the day-long round table reflected on the current status of piracy in the film industry and how infringement of copyrights has become an open threat to its development.

PTI