Lok Sabha Question No. 2546 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-11
Subject: Hosting of WAVES Summit in 2025
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: Shri Dhairyasheel Sambhajirao Mane, Shri Sudheer Gupta, Shri G Kumar Naik

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2546 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.12.2024

## HOSTING OF WAVES SUMMIT IN 2025

2546: SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA: SHRI DHAIRYASHEEL SAMBHAJIRAO MANE: SHRI G KUMAR NAIK:

## Will the Minister of INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government is aware of the significant revenue losses faced by the Media and Entertainment industry due to piracy particularly through platforms like Telegram and if so, the estimated scale of such losses and the details thereof;

(b) the mechanisms or systems which have been established by the Government to address complaints related to piracy including their effectiveness;

- (c) the total number of piracy-related complaints received during the last three years along with the actions taken thereon including their current status;
- (d) the details of existing initiatives, policies and Acts introduced by the Government to combat piracy in the Media and Entertainment sector;
- (e) whether there are additional measures or policies in the pipeline to address this growing issue;
- (f the details of punitive measures taken/being taken by the Government against piracy; and
- (g) whether the Government has held any consultation with gaming industry stakeholders regarding their concerns while organising World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) in 2025 and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (DR. L. MURUGAN)

(a) to (f): The Government of India has established various mechanisms and policies to address complaints related to piracy in the Media and Entertainment sector. These initiatives aim to safeguard intellectual property rights, curb digital piracy, and protect the stakeholders in the industry.

To address the concerns of the industry, the Cinematograph Act, 1952 has been amended in 2023 to include the provisions for addressing the issues of unauthorized recording and exhibition of films to curb the menace of film piracy by transmission of unauthorized copies on the internet. These amendments supplement the existing laws that address the issue of film piracy, viz. the Copyright Act, 1957 and the Information Technology Act (IT) 2000.

Under these provisions, an institutional mechanism has been established in the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and the Central Board of Film Certification for receiving complaints by the authorized Nodal officers, from the original copyright holders of cinematograph films or by persons authorized by them and/or any other person, regarding exhibition of pirated/infringing copies of films on the internet.

During the last three years, a number of complaints were received, which were addressed by issuing notifications to the intermediaries for disabling access to online links containing pirated content from the websites.

Further, the Government of India has notified the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media, Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 on 25.02.2021 under the Information Technology Act, 2000. The Rules, inter-alia, provide for a Code of Ethics for the digital news publishers and publishers of OTT platforms, and a three level institutional mechanism for redressal of grievances relating to violation of the Code of Ethics. The Code of Ethics requires OTT platforms not to transmit any content which is prohibited by any law for the time being in force, including Copyright Act, 1957, or has been prohibited by any court of competent jurisdiction.

Provisions for strict punishment against piracy of films have been included in the Cinematograph Act prescribing minimum 3 months imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 3 lakh which can be extended up to 3 years imprisonment and fine up to 5% of the audited gross production cost. A person can also be prosecuted for piracy of films under the Copyright Act, 1957 and the Information Technology Act, 2000.

(g): World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES) is an industry-driven event. The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has held stakeholder consultations with various key federations and association of the Media & Entertainment (M&E) industry including the gaming sector.

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