The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Police told to adopt a tough stand against music piracy

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Thursday, Oct 23, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Police told to adopt a tough stand against music piracy

Staff Reporter

Government urged to create special cell to tackle IPR issues

— Photo: K. Gopinathan

On being vigilant: Director-General and Inspector-General of Police, R. Srikumar (left) and Julio Riberio, adviser of IMI, at the workshop held in Bangalore on Wednesday.

BANGALORE: Even as piracy of music cassettes and CDs has affected music companies in India severely, the Indian music industry has been actively lobbying with the State Government for the creation of a special cell in the Police Department to tackle piracy related issues.

Speaking here at a workshop on Intellectual Property Rights for the State Police, Indian Music Industry (IMI) adviser Julio Ribeiro, a former Mumbai Police Commissioner, said: “Tamil Nadu has a special police cell for Intellectual Property Rights violations, and we are seeking similar cells in police departments in other States.”

The workshop was conducted by the Indian Music Industry — a consortium of 142 music companies — and is a part of a series of events that the IMI is conducting to raise awareness of Intellectual Property Rights. “The piracy of Indian music has been seen in the U.S., Canada and Pakistan, and following our interaction, the enforcement agencies have initiated action against piracy,” Mr. Ribeiro said. Stating that the music industry was severely affected by piracy, he said: “Piracy is rampant in Latin America, where it is controlled by those involved in terrorism and underworld activities. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is known to generate money from piracy.”

The Director-General and Inspector-General of Police R. Srikumar said: “We need to change and take support of the enlightened community, especially those in the music industry. If you [policemen] get information, you should facilitate them and enforce the Act,” he said. “The Copyright Act should be implemented at the cutting-edge level. Do not give any room for violation,” he added.

The Additional Director-General of Police (Crime and Technical Services) S.T. Ramesh, said: “There is evidence that illegal money generated from arms trade, narcotic trade and piracy are funding terrorism and insurgency.”

Similar to the State Government’s declaration of zero tolerance for software piracy, a tough stand should be taken against piracy and other Copyright Act violations, he added.

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