NEW DELHI: In another step towards curtailing the menace of piracy, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) has empowered the officials of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to issue directions to social media intermediaries to remove illegally appropriated content or film uploaded in contravention of copyright.
Following the order from the officials, who will be designated as the nodal officers, the online platforms will be under obligation to take down the pirated content within 48 hours.
Notification empowering officials has been issued, informed Secretary, Information and Broadcasting Ministry Apurva Chandra on Friday.
“As per the amended Cinematograph Act, regional officers in CBFC have been empowered to issue orders to remove pirated films from any source such as telegram and YouTube following a complaint. The platforms will need to act and remove the unlawfully reproduced content within 48 hours,” said officials.
According to the officials, all nine regional offices of CBFC, the office of the chief executive officer at its headquarters in Mumbai and the ministry will have separate nodal officers to deal with the complaints.
The regional offices are located in Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, New Delhi, Cuttack, Guwahati and also in Mumbai.
The Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill 2023-- which intends to prevent financial losses to the film industry due to prevalent piracy--was passed by both Houses of Parliament in July. It also has provisions of age-based certifications. According to the Government estimates the film industry incurs a loss of Rs 20,000 crore every year.
The new sections in the Cinematograph Act prohibit the unauthorized recording of films (section 6AA) and their exhibition (section 6AB). The stringent new provision 6AA in the bill also prohibits the recording of a film or any part thereof with the sole purpose of using the recording in the same device.
Provisions have also been made for the punishment of a minimum of three months imprisonment and a fine of Rs three lakh lakhs for making piracy copies or five per cent of the production of the movie. The imprisonment can be extended up to three years imprisonment.