Andhra to check video piracy
By IANSFriday, June 18, 2010
HYDERABAD - The Andhra Pradesh government Friday decided to promulgate an ordinance to check video piracy which is hitting the Telugu film industry hard and causing an annual loss of Rs.200 crore.
The government will amend the Andhra Pradesh Exhibition of Film on Television Screen through Video Cassette Recorder (Regulation) Act, 1993.
The state cabinet Friday approved a draft ordinance that would empower police sub-inspectors to raid and seize incriminating material used in video piracy.
Minister for Cinematography J. Geeta Reddy told reporters that a bill to amend the Act was drafted in April but could not be tabled in the budget session of the assembly.
She said the ordinance would address the concerns of the Telugu film industry and meet their long-pending demands for action. The Telugu film industry had threatened to observe a shutdown in March to pressurize the government to act tough against piracy.
Producer Yalamanchi Ravichand had also observed a fast-unto-death over the same issue, but withdrew it following an assurance by the government.
According to the Telugu film industry, the second biggest after Bollywood, piracy is causing a loss of over Rs.200 crore every year.
