New Delhi: In a significant move to combat digital piracy, the government has amended the Cinematograph Act, introducing stricter penalties for unauthorised recording and sharing of films.
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan informed Parliament that the revised law prescribes a minimum imprisonment of three months and a fine of Rs 3 lakh. The sentence can extend to three years, along with fines reaching five per cent of a film’s audited gross production cost.
“Sections 6AA and 6AB of the Act now clearly prohibit unauthorised recording and transmission of any part of a film,” Murugan stated. He further added, “With the inclusion of Section 7(1B)(ii), the government can direct intermediaries to remove pirated content from their platforms.”
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Central Board of Film Certification have been tasked with acting on complaints from copyright holders and issuing takedown orders to intermediaries hosting infringing material.
To ensure effective enforcement, an inter-ministerial committee has been set up to design coordinated anti-piracy strategies.According to data from The Rob Report by EY and IAMAI, India’s entertainment industry incurred losses of over Rs 22,000 crore in 2023 due to piracy—a growing concern that the amended law aims to tackle more aggressively.