No show for pirated movies in State

Hyderabad: It is bad news for film buffs who prefer watching pirated movies online, some of which are uploaded within few hours after the film hits the theatres across the country. The Telangana government has decided to crackdown on piracy and even curb downloading of illegal content across the State. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have decided to extend support to the initiative by blocking hundreds of sites that stream pirated movies.

• TS to black out websites streaming pirated movies
• ISPs, police and film industry to work together to curb piracy

Telangana IT Minister K Taraka Rama Rao held a meeting in this regard at the Secretariat on Wednesday. IT Secretary Jayesh Ranjan, senior officials of IT and Police departments besides representatives from film industry attended the meet. “Not only will producers and financiers face losses, it is also a threat to the livelihood of lakhs of workers who depend on the industry,” he said.

“Although film piracy is prevalent across the country, the Telangana government will not be a silent spectator to illegal activities,” Rao said adding that he would write a letter to the Centre explaining his government’s steps to check piracy.

The Telangana State is against piracy and accordingly provisions would be included in the IT Act, he pointed out. The IT and Police departments, Internet Service Providers as well as the film industry should work in co-ordination to overcome this serious problem, he felt.

Film industry delegation led by noted producer D Suresh Babu gave a presentation about piracy menace and how it was denting their income besides stringent laws existing in European countries. “In the last nine months alone, the industry suffered losses to the tune of Rs 350 crore due to piracy,” he said. Meanwhile, members of ISP delegation pointed out that they do not support any activity that violates laws.