ManyThingsFree

Film piracy has undoubtedly become one of the biggest threats to the film industry. Gone are the days when a bad camera print used to sold in the video rental shops or on the streets, the pirates have got into new avenues to distribute the illegal copies of the films. The internet is proving to be the El-Dorado for pirates and they are all going berserk on the internet to excavate this gold mine. A recent report submitted FICCI suggests that the Indian film industry is losing more than $4 Billion dollars a year to piracy and more than 8,00,000 jobs along with it. The emergence of video sharing sites like Youtube, Dailymotion, Metacafe and other P2P, File Sharing sites have become the new tools of online piracy. A recent Tamil movie which was produced by Radhika Sarathkumar titled ‘Jaggubhai’ starring Sarath Kumar and Shriya was uploaded on theinternet days before its release. Now, another Hindi film, ‘Ab Tera Kya Hoga Jhonny’ which was directed by Sudhir Mishra has fallen prey to piracy.The film which was supposed to release in May this year, has been uploaded on the internet a full 4 months before its release. Interestingly the film was completed in 2007 and it was being screened in several film festivals across Asia. Although, the film makers and producers have got in touch with Google Inc, and Youtube to delete the film, the damage has already been done. It’s high time the people realize how downloading films from the internet or even watching films online is going to affect the film industry in general. With millions of dollars and rupees at stake, this is one major concern which has to be addressed immediately. Copyright infringement laws and Anti-Piracy laws have been strengthened further and more than film fraternity, Government, the onus of curbing piracy is on us, the people. Unless we stop watching films illegally, no law can curb this menace. Stop Piracy. It’s a crime.