Tollywood’s Big Move to Stop Piracy

Digital piracy is the root cause behind leakage of revenue for film industry. Despite frequent arrests of piracy masterminds who are behind illicit websites which publish links for viewing new films just hours after their theatrical release, the menace is far from ended because many domains still continue to thrive. Tollywood is undoubtedly the worst affected film industry because of piracy.

In the wake of recent breakthrough against piracy rackets, both the Telangana police and Telugu film industry are now doubling down on their efforts to dismantle more such networks by effectively taking counter measures to destroy pirated links in quick time. 

In a significant step, the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) and the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce (TFCC) on Monday entered into a formal Memorandum of Understanding to enable real-time monitoring, swift takedowns and coordinated legal action against online copyright violations affecting the Telugu film industry.

TGCSB director Shikha Goel and TFCC president Daggubati Suresh Babu, in the presence of Telangana Director General of Police (DGP) B Shivadhar Reddy, signed the MoU and agreed mutually to fight against the piracy scourge.

The MoU formalises a mechanism for real-time intelligence sharing, rapid escalation, swift takedowns, and coordinated legal action against organised piracy networks. 

Using latest technology tools and mechanisms, teams will also work on quick takedown and blocking of pirated content through coordination with intermediaries, ISPs, OTT platforms, social media companies and app stores. Both the police department and film industry representatives will regularly convene for reviewing the progress of this initiative and also to share coordinated action during film releases. 

Some of the key takeaways from this MoU include – 

1) Real-time monitoring and intelligence sharing on piracy networks and infringing digital platforms.

2) Deployment of TFCC Anti-Piracy Agents at the TGCSB Integrated Command & Control Centre (ICCC) for seamless coordination.

3) Swift legal action on verified complaints and digital evidence, with TGCSB as the nodal supervisory agency.

4) Expedited takedown and blocking of pirated content in coordination with intermediaries, ISPs, OTT platforms, social media companies and app stores.

5) Use of advanced technology tools such as automated crawlers, analytics and content identification systems.