Bollywood and Hollywood unite to fight piracy

Box office takings drop hugely because of piracy

Film-makers in the US and India have formed a coalition aimed at fighting piracy in the South Asian nation - one of the world's biggest film markets.

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and leading Indian studios are joining the alliance.

They warned that the "menace" of copyright infringement has hit the ability to make money from films.

MPAA chairman Dan Glickman said pirated DVDs entered the Indian market even before the official release.

"This has to be stopped," he said.

Bollywood film-maker Yash Chopra said: "The Indian film industry loses millions of dollars every year due to piracy. India is also among the top 10 countries in the world when it comes to this crime."

"We need government support to implement stricter rules to prevent people from going to watch movies in cinemas with camcorders for copying purposes. If someone is caught, it should be a non-bailable offence."

Among the Indian studios joining the alliance are UTV Motion Pictures, Reliance Big Entertainment and YashRaj Films.

A study by the US-India Business Council and consultancy Ernst and Young showed Indian consumers buy 700 million illegal DVDs every year - costing the Indian film industry $959m.

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