What is The Cinematograph Bill 2023 And How Does it Help With Piracy – Explained

The government is ready with the final draft of the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill 2023 which will be introduced in the parliament during the upcoming monsoon session. Here’s what the bill is all about.

What is The Cinematograph Bill 2023: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday cleared the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill which was originally proposed in 2019 by the government. The bill was unanimously welcomed by the film industry including actors and filmmakers who took to social media to appreciate the cabinet’s efforts in encouraging the movie-going experience and also putting a leash on piracy.

WHAT IS THE CINEMATOGRAPH (AMENDMENT) BILL?

A new Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill was proposed in Rajya Sabha in 2019 after representatives from the film industry reached out to the government to help them with curbing online piracy of movies, tv shows, and web series. More requests were also made after which the Information and Broadcasting Ministry took notice of the issue. A thorough planning was made and over 15 consultations were made across the country with filmmakers and producer organisations before introducing the final draft of the Bill on Wednesday.

INTRODUCTION OF AGE CLASSIFICATION

The Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill 2023 has provisions for harsher punishment for film piracy and the introduction of new-age categories for classifying films. The bill completely does away with the traditional form of categorising a film on the basis of U, A, and UA. Rather, the amendments seek to add new classifications – ‘UA-7+’, ‘UA-13+’, and ‘UA-16+’ in place for 12 years. Besides improving the process to certify films by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), the amendments also seek to bring about uniformity in categorisation of films and content across platforms.

STRICTER LAWS AGAINST PIRACY

The Bill holds stricter punishment for those responsible for piracy and encourages piracy of movies and shows across the country. This includes three years of imprisonment and a Rs 10 lakh penalty for those engaged in piracy. Once the Bill is released, the act of piracy will be considered an offence legally and will include even transmitting pirated content punishable.

The Bill will be introduced in the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament, confirmed the I&B minister Anurag Thakur at a press conference in Delhi. He said, “The bill, which has been drafted after thorough consultation with the stakeholders, incorporating best practices will be introduced in the next session of parliament. It will also prove to be a revolutionary step towards promoting Indian films 7 helping local content go global.”

Thakur talked about the bill providing relief to the film industry from piracy. He said, “The fight against piracy is a global one but we are determined to protect our creative industry by simplifying laws & improving the ease of doing business in India. Our efforts have resulted in a significant improvement in our rankings benefitting citizens & businesses alike.”

Watch this space for more updates on the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill!