NEW DELHI: In another step towards curtailing piracy, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) has empowered the officials of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to issue directions to social media intermediaries to remove illegally appropriated film content uploaded in contravention of copyright. Following an order from officials designated as nodal officers, the online platforms will be under obligation to take down the pirated content within 48 hours.
Briefing about the development, secretary of I&B ministry Apurva Chandra on Friday said that an institutional mechanism is being set up to keep a check on piracy. A notification empowering the officials in this regard was issued on Friday.
“As per the amended Cinematograph Act, regional officers in CBFC have been empowered to issue orders to remove pirated films from any source such as Telegram and YouTube following a complaint. The platforms will need to act and remove the unlawfully reproduced content within 48 hours,” added Chandra.All nine CBFC regional offices, the office of the CEO at its headquarters in Mumbai, and the ministry will have separate nodal officers to deal with the complaints.
The Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill 2023, which intends to prevent financial losses to the film industry due to prevalent piracy, was passed by both Houses of Parliament in July. The Bill has made provisions for punishment of minimum three months’ jail and fine of Rs 3 lakh or 5 per cent of the movie’s production cost, for creating pirated contents. The imprisonment can be extended up to three years.
According to the government estimates, the film industry incurs a loss of Rs 20,000 crore every year due to piracy.Union I&B minister Anurag Singh Thakur said piracy has always been a major cause of concern. “It takes years and a lot of energy to create good content, but people involved in piracy take a few minutes to copy them and earn lakhs. Notification pertaining to nodal officers is a step to curb piracy,” said Thakur.
The ministry said that any person such as producer, director or individual holding original copyright can flag pirated content and seek its removal. If a complaint is raised by a person who does not hold the copyright or is not authorised by the copyright holder, the nodal officer may hold hearings to decide the genuineness of the complaint before issuing orders.
