Event Coverage
‘Make piracy an economic offence, good cos ‘badvertise’ too’
MUMBAI: Protection and enforcement of copyright continues to remain a challenge for the Media and Entertainment industry. According to estimates, rogue or pirate sites earned 35 per cent more revenues than the Indian Film Industry in 2016.
The need of the hour is to form enforcement models and effective strategies to counter the underground pirate economy. Taking the war against online piracy in India one notch higher, A session called ‘Decoding the pirate economy in interconnected world: from Noise to Action’ on online copyright infringement that has facilitated the emergence of pirate economy, was held at FICCI Frames on the first day of the three day conference on the Media and Entertainment industry.
The panel moderated by MPA India MD Uday Singh was attended by DIPP joint secretary Rajiv Aggarwal, IAS, Inspector General of Maharashtra Police (Cyber) Brijesh Singh, Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce Anti Video Piracy Cell chairman Raj Kumar Akella, Star India legal VP Surender Mann, Strategic IP Information CEO Bharat Dube, Viacom18 group general counsel Sujeet Jain, and The Film and Television Producers Guild of India CEO Kulmeet Makkar.
According to Singh, the Indian film industry’s attitude about the seven days window to make money at box office should change and one should look at piracy as a threat in a longer run. Public and private partnership is needed to deal with intellectual property violations. Hence, to curb online piracy in India, Maharashtra state is all set to get Maharashtra Intellectual Property Crime Unit, which may be called MIPCU.
Though, Dube believes that advertising revenue is the primary driver for the content theft industry. The best way to deter advertising revenue from going to pirate networks would be to build comprehensive risk management frameworks in ad agencies, ad networks and advertisers to address this risk proactively. ISPs need to proactively build block lists and adhere to site blocking orders issued by the courts to limit access to pirate sites.
“The problem is also with mindset where people do not see immorality or illegality in pirating movies,” he added.
In one of his studies, Dube tracked 1,143 popular pirate sites in India and found that 73 per cent of the sites were ad-supported and had the potential of generating millions of dollars for pirates. It is estimated that large pirate networks can generate between $2-4 million while medium and smaller sites can generate up to $2 million annually. The low levels of industry awareness have resulted in advertisements of legitimate businesses appearing on pirate sites. This study found 425 legitimate advertisers advertising on pirate sites.
Pirate networks also attract advertising from several High-Risk Advertisers such as, adult dating, pornography, malware, gambling and other unregulated products. This study found 361 advertisers in the high-risk category.
“Piracy should be made an economic offence. Search engines should take responsibilities and advertising on illegal websites should stop. We have coined a word called ‘Badvertising’ for advertisements on such websites,” added Dube.
Resonating with Dube’s thoughts, Jain also stated that the search engines have to behave more responsibly an that the bad advertising on rogue websites has to reduce. “Trinity of legislative, executive and judicial authorities need to fight piracy together. We need court orders to block websites completely to curb online piracy,” said Jain. He also pointed out that piracy should be classified as an economical issue for which measures are essential to improve civic sense. According to the IT act, there are intermediary guidelines which have a greater role to play. The responsibility on intermediaries has to increase to win this war against online piracy.
Sharing similar thoughts, Mann happily agreed to help and support Maharashtra government against online piracy. Jain too accepted the opportunity to become a unit with the Maharashtra state to curb piracy.
Makkar expressed their support for MIPCU and hope to see the end of piracy in India very soon. He also stated the importance of an awarenesss program. “We are working on some campaigns to spread awareness about the odds that come with piracy across cinema halls, TV channels, etc. ”
Akella also resonated with the idea of collaborating industry and the state government. “India needs to take responsibility. Piracy is just not the loss of revenues. It affects us in a much larger way,” concluded Akella.
Event Coverage
Anime India announces Amazon MX Player as co-presenting partner for Anime India Kolkata 2026
MUMBAI: Riding high on the success of its blockbuster Mumbai debut, Anime India is accelerating its nationwide expansion with the announcement of Amazon MX Player as the co-presenting partner for Anime India Kolkata. The partnership marks a significant step forward in the festival’s mission to deliver large-scale, accessible, and fan-first anime experiences across the country.
Scheduled for 14 and 15 February 2026 at the iconic Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan, Anime India Kolkata will launch the first regional chapter of what is set to be a year-long, multi-city tour. As the curtain-raiser for the 2026 circuit, the Kolkata edition aims to fuse the energy of global Japanese pop culture with India’s fast-growing community of anime, manga, and pop-culture fans.
A household name in digital entertainment, Amazon MX Player brings unmatched reach and cultural relevance to the Anime India platform. With its expanding focus on anime and youth-driven content, Amazon MX Player’s involvement as co-presenting partner reinforces Anime India’s vision of making anime culture more inclusive breaking barriers of language, geography, and accessibility to connect with fans nationwide.
Anime India Kolkata 2026 will showcase cosplay competitions, interactive zones led by the Indian Gunpla Community, India-39 Vocaloid Community, The Japan Curry, and Adda-o-Otaku by The Otaku Guild. Fans can join tournaments across fighting games, Pokémon VGC, and more. Acclaimed Japanese director Susumu Mitsunaka (Haikyu!!) will attend as guest of honour, appearing in panels and live sessions. Positioned as an immersive celebration of fan culture and industry collaboration, the Kolkata edition marks the beginning of Anime India’s nationwide expansion.
Sharing their perspective on the partnership, Amazon MX Player director Aruna Daryanani expressed, “Anime in India has evolved from a niche interest into a mainstream cultural movement, driven by an increasingly engaged and passionate fanbase. At Amazon MX Player, our focus is on expanding access by bringing anime to audiences across the country for free and in multiple local languages. Our association with Anime India reflects our commitment to supporting the growth of anime in India and deepening connections with fans, while continuing to build Amazon MX Player as a trusted destination for free, high-quality entertainment.”
“Anime India Kolkata is a celebration of how anime has grown beyond entertainment into a powerful cultural and creative force. By bringing fans, creators, and industry leaders onto one shared platform, the festival is helping define the future of pop culture in India,” said Anime India co-founder and director Neha Mehta.
The debut edition of Anime India 2025 in Mumbai attracted over 29,000 fans, quickly cementing its status as a landmark celebration of anime and Japanese pop culture. Riding on this overwhelming response, the Kolkata chapter is projected to draw more than 40,000 visitors across two days, positioning it as one of the biggest anime conventions ever held in eastern India.
Anime India is focused on bringing together fans from across the country to create a truly pan-India celebration of anime, manga, cosplay, gaming, and Japanese culture. With plans to expand into four key metropolitan hubs in 2026—east (Kolkata), north (Delhi), west (Mumbai), and south (Hyderabad)—the festival seeks to deliver globally benchmarked experiences while supporting and uplifting creators, artists, and fan communities throughout India.
