Lok Sabha Question No. 263 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-05
Subject: Empowering of CBC
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: Prataprao  Jadhav, Sambhajirao Mane Dhairyasheel, Sudheer Gupta, Sanjay Sadashivrao Mandlik, Shrirang Appa Barne

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 263

(TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.12.2023)

## EMPOWERING OF CBC

## 263. SHRI PRATAPRAO JADHAV:

SHRI DHAIRYASHEEL SAMBHAJIRAO MANE:

SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA:

SHRI SANJAY SADASHIVRAO MANDLIK:

SHRI SHRIRANG APPA BARNE:

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

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  approved/  proposes  to  approve  a  digital  advertisement policy to empower its advertising wing, the Central Bureau of Communication (CBC);

(b) if so, the details thereof along with the aims and objectives of devising this policy;

- (c) the manner  in  which this policy will  empower  CBC  to  empanel  agencies  and organizations  in  the  Over-the-Top  (OTT)  and  video-on-demand  spaces  and  how  it  will  be beneficial to the Government;
- (d) whether film industry  is  facing  huge  losses  every    year  owing  to  piracy  and  if  so,  the details thereof;
- (e) whether the Government has established an institutional mechanism of Nodal officers to receive complaints against piracy and direct the intermediaries to take down pirated content on digital platforms and if so, the details thereof; and
- (f) the details of other measures taken/being taken by the Government to address the issue of piracy?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING; AND MINISTER OF YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS {SHRI ANURAG SINGH THAKUR} (a)  to  (c):  The  Central  Bureau  of  Communications  (CBC)  under  the  Ministry  of Information  and  Broadcasting  undertakes  awareness  campaigns  for  dissemination  of information about schemes, policies and programmes of Government of India. In order to enhance  the  reach  of  such  campaigns  and  leverage  digital  advertisement  platform's capabilities to deliver context-specific and user-specific advertisements to citizens with high precision, the Government has approved a Digital Advertisement Policy, 2023 which interalia  provides  for  empanelment  etc.  of  various  digital  media  platforms  such  as  OTT platforms, podcasts, internet website and mobile application etc. The policy is available on the website of CBC i.e. www.davp.nic.in. (d)  to  (f):  According  to  industry  estimates,  the  film  industry  in  India  loses  around  Rs. 20,000  crore  each  year  due  to  piracy  of  its  proprietary  contents.  The  Cinematograph (Amendment)  Act,  2023  provides  for  an  institutional  mechanism  to  protect  the  film industry  from  piracy  of  its  contents,  including  digital  piracy.  As  per  the  newly  inserted Section  6AB  in  the  Cinematograph  Act,  1952,  no  person  shall  use  or  abet  the  use  of  an infringing copy of any film to exhibit to the public for profit at a place of exhibition which has not been licensed under this Act or the rules made there under. Further, newly inserted section 7 (1B)(ii) of the Act also provides that the Government may take suitable action for removing/ disabling access to such an infringing copy exhibited/ hosted on an intermediary platform in a manner in contravention to the section 6 AB of the Act. An institutional mechanism of Nodal Officers has also been established in the Ministry of Information  &  Broadcasting  and  the  Central  Board  of  Film  Certification  for  receiving complaints  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, and issuing notification to the intermediaries for disabling access to such links. In case of complaints by any person who does not have the copyright or authorized by the copyright holder, a hearing may be considered on case to case basis by the nodal officer.

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