Censor backs tough action on DVD piracy
The Irish film censor has backed calls for tougher penalties to be imposed on criminals involved in DVD piracy.
John Kelleher said he was in favour of the film industry’s proposals for mandatory sentences to be introduced to deter the rapid growth in the area.
“Piracy is a serious, serious problem. We obviously support the law and any measure that will prevent breaches,” he said.
Last month, gardaí uncovered a counterfeiting operation on a farm in Duleek, Co Meath, which was capable of producing three million DVDs each year – just under half the annual total of seven million legal DVD sales.
The Irish National Federation Against Copyright Theft (INFACT) estimates the industry is losing €115m to pirates each year.
Director Brian Finegan said he welcomed Mr Kelleher’s support for his federation’s proposal for mandatory sentences under the Copyright Act 2000.
“The penalties we have are pretty severe but judges don’t apply them. Mandatory penalties are under discussion at the moment but there could be constitutional difficulties,” he said.
He added: “We really have to do something radical soon because otherwise you’re not going to have a local video store or cinema.
The introduction of DVDs has led to a rapid increase in film piracy because they can be copied much more quickly and cheaply than videos. Gardaí made seizures of illegal DVDs worth €8.3m during 2003 – over double the amount for 2002.
Mr Kelleher, who was appointed as film censor in 2003, said there was a perception among the public that buying pirate DVDs was acceptable.
“People feel that the big Hollywood studios are making a bomb. Even though they are committing a crime, they don’t see it that way,” he said.
As well as copying existing DVDs, pirates are also releasing DVD versions of the latest cinema titles by recording them from cinema screens with camcorders or downloading digital copies from the internet.
“War of the Worlds will be out in cinemas next week but if you go to certain parts of Dublin, you’ll be able to buy that,” said Mr Kelleher.
A piracy steering group, which includes representatives from the film industry and Government, is currently examining ways of tackling the problem.
Jerry Flynn, the managing director of Sony Pictures Ireland, said the production of pirate DVDs was now almost mirroring the legitimate industry.
“As a consumer, it is reaching out to all aspects. You have it now in factories and in door to door sales, but the predominant source is the market traders,” he said.
