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This Article is From Mar 22, 2012

Music industry upbeat over HC order on online piracy

Mumbai: Music industry has termed theCalcutta High Court order as landmark, which it feels willhelp control online piracy.

"It is a landmark order in a way that the high courtdirected internet service providers (ISPs) to block thewebsites that illegally allow the downloading of songs whichresult in piracy. The judiciary has understood the sensitiveissue of piracy. Even the ISPs have shown their support," theIndian Music Industry (IMI) General Secretary Savio D'Souzatold PTI.

IMI, an umbrella organisation of over 140 musiccompanies, including market leaders like Saregama, UniversalMusic, Sony Music, Venus, Tips etc, had served the notices toISPs like Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India, RelianceCommunications Infrastructure, Sify Technologies, Hathway foralleged violation of music copyright by illegal websites.

In its order last week, the high court restrained theISPs from reproducing, adopting, distributing, communicating,transmitting, disseminating or displaying in any mannerinfringing the copyright in sound recordings belonging to theIMI member companies.

"I believe nowhere in the world this kind of order hascome out in support of the music industry...So it is a bigvictory for us. The high court understood our concern aboutthe illegal business. With this order we expect to controlpiracy in three to six months," owner of Tips Music CompanyRamesh Taurani said.

Echoing him, Sony Music Entertainment president forIndia and Middle East Sridhar Subramaniam said,"We are veryhappy as the order is first of its kind in the world of music.The best part is even the ISPs have shown their support byissuing notices to illegal websites which means even they areaware about piracy and its consequences".

With this the music industry will grow and that willbring in more money, he said.

"It is a remarkable order all I hope is that it getsimplemented at the earliest and properly. This will benefitthe music industry in a big way and decrease piracy. Internetis our future and we need to ensure the right, legal kind ofcontent is run on it," T-Series chief Bhushan Kumar said.
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