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A copyright violation is a cognizable and non-bailable offence. Any Police Officer of the rank of Sub-Inspector and above is authorized to conduct a search and seizure without a warrant. A police officer can conduct a search and arrest of any premises located in an area within the limits of his police station with or without a formal complaint. A complaint can be given orally or in writing.
All genuine video products by law must display not only on the DVD its packaging, but also in the film when its played on a DVD player ALL of the following:
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A copy of the Film Censor Certificate
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Name and address of the person who has made the video film and a declaration by him that he has obtained the necessary license or consent from the copyright for making the copy; and
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The name and address of the owner of the copyright holder.
A video film without the statutory information mentioned above shall be deemed to be a pirated copy. Most pirated optical discs do not contain any details other than the name of the film, either on the discs itself or the inlay cards.
The following table will give an overview of some tell-tale signs which will help identify a pirate product.
| Display |
Display |
| DVDs are not openly displayed in shops. They are kept in cardboard boxes under the shop counter which the shopkeeper brings out to his customers on a demand for new movies or for a specific movie title being made by the customer |
Openly displayed in most shops. |
| Price |
Price |
| Prices are not displayed on the inlay card. The shopkeeper quotes a price depending upon his guess on the capacity to pay of the customer. A pirated DVD should not cost more than Rs. 150/- for new films. The price can also be as low as Rs. 80/- for older titles. |
The maximum selling price (MRP) is always displayed. |
| SID Codes |
SID Codes |
| Does not bear the Mastering (LBR) Code or the Mould Code. |
Usually, one of the two is printed. |
| Visual appearance of DVD |
Visual appearance of DVD |
| A majority have the inscription “DVD Version”. |
Will never have such a declaration. |
| Usually have a single colour screen printing on one side of the DVD. The printing is usually smudged and not very clean. |
Printing is usually of good quality. |
| Usually does not contain the logos of the studio (the copyright owner), DVD manufacturer, or distributor printed on them. |
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| The reflecting surface of Recordable DVDs are either a green/gold or blue in colour silver. |
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| Inlay Cards |
Inlay Cards |
| Usually printed on this paper. |
Usually good paper or thick card is used. |
| Do not contain trademarks of the studios (the copyright owner) or the logo of the DVD manufacturer or distributor printed on them. |
Trademarks of the studios (the copyright owner) or the logo of the DVD manufacturer or distributor is always printed. |
| Could be colour photocopies. |
Always printed. |
Whether you download a movie or TV show from an unauthorised source or sell counterfeit DVDs on the street, you are stealing someone else's property and your actions carry serious legal consequences. Pirates all over the world should know that law enforcement entities are committed to protecting copyrighted material because creative works such as motion pictures and television are as valuable as any other type of property.
The MPDA and its member companies have a multi-pronged approach to fighting piracy, which includes educating people about the consequences of piracy, taking action against Internet thieves, cooperating with law enforcement authorities to root out pirate operations, and encouraging the development of new technologies that ensure movies can be made available legally over the Internet and other digital media. As an industry, we are working hard to protect our creative works.
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