Film industry to agitate against amendments to Copyright Act

Film industry to agitate against amendments to Copyright Act

NEW DELHI: The Film Federation of India (FFI) is meeting in Mumbai on 29 December to take a final decision on the threatened strike in January by various sections of the film industry against the amendments to the Copyright Act.

This decision was taken during a meeting of the FFI in Chennai, which saw the participation of several organisations from the southern states.

Sources from an affiliate body of the FFI in south India told indiantelevision.com that the Federation had been given the mandate to take a final decision on the strike on 6 and 7 January.

The film industry is opposed to the proposed Copyright Amendment Bill 2010 that mandates producers to share 50 per cent music royalty with lyricists and composers.

A day-long strike along with a dharna in Delhi is proposed against what is termed as the `draconian` law which will affect the industry. There would be no show at theatres on 6 January and industry professionals including actors, directors, producers and others will participate in the strike and demonstration at Delhi.

According to senior filmmaker L Suresh, the proposal would affect the selling of films to distributors and exhibitors.

Repeated representations had been made to the government but proved futile, he said.

The producers said that the government was working at the `behest of some vested interests` in this matter.

A Parliamentary Standing committee in its recommendations on the bill, tabled in Parliament last month, has said that producers should give authors, lyricists and composers 50 per cent royalty for a film.