December 24, 2010 (Showbiz PR Wire): 2 arrested & pirated goods worth more than Rs.400000 seized in a raid in Mumbai
Alliance Against Copyright Theft (AACT), a coalition between Hollywood-Bollywood studios to fight the various forms of piracy in India, successfully seized the master reel of Bollywoods yet-to-be released movie TEES MAAR KHAN (TMK) today in Chembur West, Mumbai.
The raid was conducted by the Vasant Park police station along with AACT enforcement agents. At this single raid, the total seizure amounted to more than Rs. 4, 00,000, which includes approximately 3,000-4,000 pirated DVDs & 10,000-15,000 inlay cards. Two accused have been arrested during the raid. According to initial reports, the entire consignment was sent to Mumbai from Rajasthan.
Producers UTV, the team of TMK and AACT have been working hand-in-hand with the Police Department to prevent black marketing of the movie.
Siddharth Roy Kapur, CEO, UTV Motion Pictures says, "We have been working hard to ensure that copies of Tees Maar Khan are not available in the pirated market, and seizing a master reel is a big step towards that goal. We are delighted to have begun on a high note in safeguarding TMK from movie pirates. We are working closely with the authorities to intercept attempts to copy or distribute pirated versions of the movie and will continue putting pressure on the pirates till the release and post release as well.
Farah Khan, Director, Tees Maar Khan says, Piracy negates all the hard work that goes into creating a movie. I am glad that our team has been able to keep up the pressure on movie pirates by conducting this raid. Over the last month we have been appealing to the audiences to refrain from buying pirated copies of the movie. We seek support from the public as well and request them to call on the toll free no. 1800-103-1919 to report piracy."
AA Khan, Former ATS Chief, and enforcement consultant adds, We have been working closely with the Mumbai Police over the last couple of weeks to increase the vigil on movie pirates, especially those attempting to create pirated copies of Tess Maar Khan. The seizure of the master reel is a major blow for movie pirates. We will continue to put pressure on movie pirates across the city and ensure that anyone found dealing in pirated copies of the movie is booked under the Indian Copyright Act.
In the last three weeks, AACT has seized over 28 Lakhs worth of pirated goods and made 18 arrests in Mumbai. On December 19, 2010 AACT conducted a raid at MIDC, Andheri East, where over 4000 pirated DVDs were seized and 2 accused were arrested. In a similar raid at warehouse in Ulhasnagar, AACT seized 4800 pirated DVDs and arrested 5 pirates.
AACT will continue to conduct raids across the city over the next few weeks to ensure that pirated copies of Tees Maar Khan are not available in Mumbai.
About AACT
The Alliance Against Copyright Theft (AACT) is an initiative to address piracy in India launched jointly between the Hindi and Hollywood studios. This Bollywood-Hollywood coalition includes UTV Motion Pictures, Moser Baer Entertainment, Reliance Big Entertainment, Eros International, and the Motion Picture Association (representing the six major Hollywood studios).
AACT will target all forms of piracy, both physical and online, affecting India. While hard goods (pirate DVD) enforcement will be a cornerstone to the coalition, AACT will also take steps to curb the growing Internet and camcord piracy problem in India. Moreover, AACT will launch public relations and educational outreach campaigns to raise awareness among consumers and government officials regarding the dangers of piracy. While the members of AACT are committed to stopping piracy, our efforts will be limited if the public is also not committed to stopping piracy. It is our sincere hope that this initiative will convince the public that piracy is not a victimless crime, but rather a crime that funds organized criminal syndicates and terrorism, and similarly, causes irreparable economic harm.
Media Contact:
Shipra Tewari
shipra@moes-art.com
--Showbiz PR Wire