Film theft in the UK - Future of Copyright

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4 1 Chair’s foreword The pirate is often seen as a romantic hero figure, someone who steals but does so in an honourable and victimless way. The truth is very different. Film piracy is the single largest threat facing the UK film industry today. Film piracy is theft. Like all forms of theft it has damaging financial and social consequences. These effects may be less immediately visible than those that stem from the theft of a physical object – but they are no less harmful as a consequence. Piracy undermines the economic basis of the film industry by depriving rights holders of the revenues needed to fund future films, and to provide jobs in our industry. Piracy cheats consumers by duping them into paying money for a product which is often of extremely poor quality. Piracy also provides illicit revenues to those engaged in a range of organised criminal activities at home and overseas. The problem of film theft is now growing at an alarming rate. In 2001, the number of illegal video products seized by the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) was 314,000. This figure almost doubled in 2002 to 607,000 units, but in 2003 the total number of films seized rose to nearly 2 million units; a 223% increase on the previous year. Increasingly these problems are also transferring into the digital world by copying and file sharing on the net. This level of damage and loss to our industry is simply unsustainable. That is why the UK Film Council, the Government’s strategic agency for film, has established an Anti-Piracy Task Force. The Task Force brings together the key stakeholders in the UK film industry to deliver a joined-up antipiracy strategy in the UK to reduce film theft and to build public awareness of the importance and benefit of copyright protection. This report maintains that film theft must be tackled using all available means. There is need for urgent action from both Government and the film industry itself, but there is no single magic bullet. The solutions involve, among other things, tougher legislation, education of consumers as to the economic and social consequences of piracy and in the long term a rethinking of our business models to enable consumers to buy legitimately what is currently being stolen. Also the film industry needs to prepare for future sale and rental of films digitally through broadband and via the internet. This report is intended to help inform the debate. Failure to confront this challenge will also result in serious damage to our film industry.
Of course, the real challenge is to ensure that the legitimate rights of citizens and consumers are safeguarded whilst ensuring that adequate measures are introduced to enable rights owners to protect their intellectual property. Action is required now – at this point our industry has everything to lose. Nigel Green Chairman UK Film Council, Anti-Piracy Task Force Film theft in the UK | 5
Page 1 and 2: Film theft in the UK Anti-Piracy Ta
Page 3: Contents 1 Chair’s foreword . . .
Page 8 and 9: 6 2 Executive summary The ability t
Page 10 and 11: 8 enforcement strategy remains suff
Page 12 and 13: 10 4 Film theft in the UK: the curr
Page 14 and 15: 12 around 80% of total customers),
Page 16 and 17: 14 DVD plants are capable of manufa
Page 18 and 19: 16 12.0 10.0 8.0 6.0 4.0 2.0 0.0 po
Page 20 and 21: 18 calculated. Some sources quote l
Page 22 and 23: 20 argue that, while most music con
Page 24 and 25: 22 more than two weeks before its o
Page 26 and 27: 24 subsequently reduced this activi
Page 28 and 29: 26 Piracy in the UK in a European c
Page 30 and 31: 28 5 Combating film theft There are
Page 32 and 33: 30 Patents Act 1988 (CDPA) (as amen
Page 34 and 35: 32 has made profits from the infrin
Page 36 and 37: 34 measures, special requirements r
Page 38 and 39: 36 a notice is served for infringin
Page 40 and 41: 38 screened in their cinemas. Howev
Page 42 and 43: 40 the local authority order to cea
Page 44 and 45: 42 successfully stop suspects tryin
Page 46 and 47: 44 WARNING FROM THE FEDERATION AGAI
Page 48 and 49: 46 Developing new business models N
Page 50 and 51: 48 6 Consumer issues What some educ
Page 52 and 53: 50 Enforcement Group (IEG) 61 , has
Page 54 and 55: 52 judge would then be able to awar
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54 The film industry In the short t
Page 58 and 59:
56 focusing on the links between pi
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58 Action plan Implementation date
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60 Action plan (continued) Implemen
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62 Appendices Appendix i: Lessons f
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64 enable them to jump into any bus
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66 lodged by Test-Achats. Aside fro
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68 against hundreds of large-scale
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70 files for an annual fee. While a
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72 charges in a similar DeCSS case
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74 Appendix iii: Copyright and Rela
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76 technological measures, dealing
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78 Appendix v: Signatories of the M
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80 recording device that stores pro
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82 However, it has endeavoured to m
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84 of Warner Bros. Pictures Inc. Th
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86 13 See http://www.iipa.com/pdf/2
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88 Member States to ensure the conf
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10 Little Portland Street London W1
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