I&B Ministry
Film piracy: Govt has no ‘losses’ figure, industry estimates Rs 180 bn a yr
NEW DELHI: Even as the government said that no definite data was available on losses owing to piracy “if any”, the film industry had said in mid-2016 that the Indian film industry was losing $ 2.7 billion (Rs 180 billion) every year.
Minister of state for information and broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore told the Parliament that the government ‘is aware that there are instances of piracy of films but these are subject matters of investigation by concerned investigating agencies of the respective state governments based on complaints by the concerned filmmakers’.
The Copyright Act 1957 as amended in 2012 provides Civil Remedies [Chapter XII (Section 54-62)] as well as Criminal Remedies [Chapter XIII (Section 63-70)] to the Copyright holder and clause (c) of subsection (1) of Section 52 of the Copyright Act, 1957 read with the Rule 75 of the Copyright Rules, 2013 are the provisions of the Act which deal with piracy of films, he said.
The loss due to piracy is said to be 35 per cent more than the $2 billion from legitimate sources such as screening at theatres, home videos and TV rights earned by the film industry which is the largest globally with some 1,000 movies produced each year.
Motion Picture Distributors’ Association (India) MD Uday Singh had said in mid-2016 that content theft or piracy in the film industry originates from ‘camcording’ in cinema halls. Over 90 per cent of new release titles originate from cinemas. He claimed that the Indian film industry loses over 60,000 jobs every year because of piracy.
The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) also quoted these figures of loss due to piracy quoting noted filmmaker Anurag Basu. While the Indian film industry is, indeed, flourishing, piracy points toward how much more its stakeholders can make, he said.
Meanwhile, the KPMG in India-FICCI Report on Media and Entertainment presented at the FICCI FRAMES earlier this month said films grew at a crawling pace of three per cent in 2016.
The segment was impacted by decline in core revenue streams of domestic theatricals and satellite rights, augmented by poor box office performance of Bollywood and Tamil films.
Expansion of overseas markets, increase of depth in regional content and rise in acquisitions of digital content byover-the-top platforms are expected to be the future growth drivers that would help the segment bounce back at a forecasted CAGR of 7.7 per cent.
However, factors such as dwindling screen count and inconsistent content quality could prove to be limiting factors.
I&B Ministry
India rolls out Rs 203 crore TDIP scheme to boost 6G push
Revised policy widens access for startups, boosts global telecom standards play
NEW DELHI: India is doubling down on its telecom ambitions with a revamped Technology Development and Investment Promotion scheme, designed to help the country move from participant to power player in global standards.
The Ministry of Communications on Tuesday unveiled revised guidelines for the TDIP scheme, committing Rs 203 crore for the 2026 to 2031 period. The move aims to strengthen India’s presence in international telecom forums while accelerating homegrown innovation in next-generation technologies, including 5G Advanced and 6G.
At the launch, Ministry of Communications union minister for communications and development of north eastern region Jyotiraditya M. Scindia said the updated framework is intended to give Indian players a stronger voice in shaping global telecom rules.
The scheme focuses heavily on increasing participation in key global bodies such as the International Telecommunication Union, 3GPP and oneM2M. Financial support will be provided for attending international meetings, submitting technical proposals, taking leadership roles, and even hosting global events in India.
The idea is straightforward. If India helps write the rules, its technologies stand a better chance of going global.
Beyond policy rooms and conference tables, the revised scheme casts a wider net across the ecosystem. Startups, MSMEs, academia and research institutions are now explicitly included, opening the door for broader collaboration and faster innovation cycles. Pilot projects, proof-of-concept initiatives and real-world demonstrations will also receive support, helping ideas move from lab to market.
Supporting the rollout will be institutions such as Telecommunications Standards Development Society India, Telecom Centres of Excellence India and Telecommunications Consultants India Limited. These bodies will coordinate efforts, build capacity and ensure industry participation aligns with global opportunities.
The initiative ties in with broader efforts by the Department of Telecommunications, including programmes like the Telecom Technology Development Fund and the Bharat 6G Mission, forming a more cohesive push towards future-ready networks.
Also present at the event were Ministry of Communications minister of state for communications and rural development Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani and Department of Telecommunications secretary (telecommunications) and chairman digital communications commission Amit Agrawal.
With this update, India is not just looking to keep pace with global telecom trends. It is aiming to help define them.
