MPA AND LOCAL FILM COMMUNITY LAUD PASSAGE OF ANTI-CAMCORDING LEGISLATION IN MALAYSIA
LOCAL FILM COMMUNITY, ANTI-CAMCORDING LEGISLATION IN MALAYSIA
- 22Dec 2011
SINGAPORE/KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia today passed legislation aimed at deterring illegal camcording activities in the country. Under Section 43A of the recently amended Copyright Act, any person who is caught using or attempting to use a recording device in a cinema faces a fine of not less than MYR10,000 (USD1,571) and not more than MYR100,000 (USD15,708) or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or to both.
“We congratulate the Malaysian government’s fight against movie theft and commitment to join its global counterparts in protecting the film community by going after the source with effective legal provisions against camcording,” said Mike Ellis, President and Managing Director for Asia Pacific of the Motion Picture Association (MPA). “Malaysian enforcement officers can now adequately address this serious problem just as capably as their counterparts have done in Hong Kong, Japan and Philippines.”
“It is about time that such a law is in place as current legislation falls short of the necessary deterrent required” said Norman Abdul Halim, Secretary General of the Malaysian Film Producers Association. “The passage of these new provisions is a welcome advantage in our battle against film theft and will allow our authorities to take action against those criminals who seek to illegally profit from the blood, sweat and tears of our creative communities.”
Industry groups, including exhibitors and cinema associations that ensure the local movie- going public enjoys the best cinema entertainment experience, likewise, expressed their full support for the new law.
The Malaysian Association of Film Exhibitors (MAFE) welcomes the passage of these provisions against camcording and will fully support its implementation. The new law will further boost our fight against movie theft as illegal camcorders will now face legal consequences for their prohibited activities. We would like to thank our lawmakers and all others who supported the passage of the law,” said Irving Chee, General Manager of Golden Screen Cinemas Sdn Bhd.
On February 24 this year, officers from the Malaysian Ministry of Domestic Trade, Co- operatives and Consumerism (MDTCC) arrested a 34-year-old man responsible for brokering the sale of large amounts of camcorded content from around the world,
concluding a complex cross-border investigation and operation which required the joint efforts of a number of agencies and organizations around the world.
“The suspect is still under investigation and we are in the process of finalizing the case with the Prosecutors,” said Mohd Roslan bin Mahayudin, Director General, Enforcement Division of the MDTCC. “We will be pushing for a maximum penalty as such crimes have a very serious impact on the film community.”
More than 90% of newly released movies that illegally end up on the Internet and in street markets around the world originate from illegal recordings being made in cinemas. These recordings often appear online within hours or days of a movie premiere, triggering an avalanche of illegal downloads that can significantly impact a film’s performance at the box office and its distribution cycle. Around 10% of global camcords in 2010 have been forensically traced to theatres in the Asia-Pacific.
Download File (PDF)For more information, please contact
Edward Neubronner
MPA Asia-Pacific
(65) 6253 1033
Siti Rohdiah
MPA Asia-Pacific
(65) 6253 1033
About the MPA
The Motion Picture Association (MPA) and Motion Picture Association International (MPA-I) represent the interests of major motion picture companies in the global marketplace. To do so, it promotes and protects its member companies’ intellectual property rights and conducts public awareness programs to highlight to movie fans around the world the importance of content protection. These activities have helped to transform entire markets benefiting film industries in each country including foreign and local filmmakers alike.
The organizations’ worldwide operations are directed from its headquarters in Los Angeles, California and overseen in the Asia Pacific by a team based in Singapore. Its member companies include: Paramount Pictures Corporation; Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.; Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation; Universal City Studios LLLP; The Walt Disney Studios; and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. For more information about the MPA, please visit www.mpa-i.org.
