posted 12-13-2004 02:04 AM                       

quote: BBC News Online

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The UK Film Council is urging a change in the law to tackle the problem of film piracy and illegal DVD sales.

The organisation has recommended new powers to crack down on car boot sales, a major source of counterfeit films. They are also suggesting that the use of camcorders to record films in cinemas is made a criminal offence.

The UK has one of the highest levels of film piracy in western Europe, with a DVD black market estimated to have a value of up to £500m.

"The pirating of films is not a victimless crime - counterfeiting threatens future film production," said John Woodward, chief executive of the UK Film Council. "It is important that the film industry learns the lessons of music piracy."

The music industry in the US and Europe has already started taking legal action against computer users who share files. Another suggestion put forward is that the film industry devises a way for films to be legally delivered to consumers via the internet.

The Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) seized three million pirate film DVDs this year - but this is only 5% of the number thought to be in circulation. A crackdown on the practice of illegal traders registering children's details at car boot sales to avoid detection is also being urged.

Rewards for people who give information leading to pirates being convicted is also in the proposals, and educating young people about the damage it can cause. The organisation also says there should be a more unified international law of intellectual property rights, while countries with relaxed piracy laws should be pressured into cleaning up their act.

The main sources of imported pirate film DVDs in the UK are Pakistan, Malaysia and China, while Russia has a thriving counterfeit market.

Pirated DVDs can be identified by the use of 'all' on the regional code section, and the lack of a British Board of Film Classification mark. Other pointers are misspelled film credits and poor quality labels, while films that are still being shown in cinemas are generally not available on DVD.

The UK Film Council's proposals will now be submitted to the Creative Industries Forum on Intellectual Property, which was created by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Hollywood film studios have already made moves to combat the practice of piracy.

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