Cinema Operators Hail Amendment To Copyright Act To Fight Piracy

KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 (Bernama) -- Cinema operators have hailed a recent amendment to the Copyright Act 1987 which enables them and the authorities to punish those who use camcorders to record movies in cinemas illegally. "It is a welcome advantage in our battle against film theft. The new provisions will allow authorities to take action against illegal camcorders, especially those who seek to make profits," said the Secretary of the Malaysian Association of Film Exhibitors (MAFE), Irving Chee. He said the improved law would further boost the cinema operators’ fight against movie theft. Section 43A of the recently amended Copyright Act 1987 states that any person who is caught using or attempting to use a recording device in a cinema faces a fine of not less than RM10,000 and not more than RM100,000, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years, or both. The amendment was gazetted on Feb 9 this year. In the past, cinema operators were unable to pursue legal action against culprits as there was no provision under the Copyright Act. Those caught recording were usually asked to delete the clips, and released with a warning. Kenny Wong, Vice Chairman of MAFE, said the amendment marked a great milestone for the local cinema industry. "Malaysia now joins Hong Kong, Japan and the Philippines, which had passed similar anti-camcording laws. We will continue to fight against movie piracy until we reach zero incidents in our cinemas," he said. According to statistics from the Motion Picture Association (MPA), a total of 69 illegal camcording incidents were detected in Malaysian cinemas between 2005 and April 2012. In 2007 alone, there were 30 such incidents, the highest in the past seven years. Between 2005 and April 2012, six camcorded movies used in the production of illegal optical discs or found online had been forensically matched to cinemas in Malaysia. Statistics, however, show the number of illegal camcording incidents has been on the decline since 2010 because cinema operators now identify the persons involved in using camcorders illegally besides reminding movie-goers against bringing in camcorders or other recording devices into cinemas. MAFE officials also said random checks on bags and jackets at cinemas would continue. -- BERNAMA