MUMBAI: With an aim to create awareness among the youth about piracy, the Motion Picture Association (MPA) will be distributing comic strips based on the 23-minute documentary titled What’s It To Me?: Creativity, Copyright and the People Who Care About Them (And Don’t).

The announcement was made during an anti-piracy seminar at the Law Faculty, Delhi University, aimed at showcasing the different points of view that students bring to a discussion about intellectual property rights (IPR).

The documentary was screened at the event that also saw the launch of an English-language version of the MPA’s anti-piracy movie trailer. The trailer is aimed at making audiences aware of the laws protecting copyright and at encouraging the public to reject pirated movies found online or on pirated VCDs or DVDs. Titled What’s It To Me?, the documentary was partly shot on campus in Delhi University and asked university students there (and in Mumbai and Bangalore) for their views on intellectual property rights and intellectual property theft.

In the documentary, local copyright owner Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra, producer/director of Rang De Basanti, and IPR expert Delhi University’s law professor Dr. Raman Mittal weighed in with their perspectives. Delhi University students and faculty members heard the views and different perspectives shared by the present dignitaries.

Speaking at the seminar actor Vani Tripathi said, â€œPiracy levels can only be brought down to manageable levels if the mindsets of people change. They should realise that piracy is a crime which not only kills creativity but also directly impacts the lives of hundreds of thousands of ordinary people who make their living through the film industry.”

In his speech, the guest of honour U.K. Katna called for a sea change in tackling the menace of piracy. Dr Alka Chawla of the Law Faculty, Delhi University who was present at the event said, “The young people from our university standing right before me represent the future of our country, and will be responsible for protecting and nurturing our moral and intellectual standing in the world. We cannot disregard the fact that the world is watching us keenly and it is imperative to be seen as honest and law-abiding individuals both at the individual and the collective level.”

Chander M. Lall, Programme Manager, MPA & Managing Partner, Lall & Sethi Advocates said, “We are delighted to have joined with the Delhi University to contribute to the fight against piracy. According to research bodies the extent of film piracy this year has only decreased by one per cent from the previous year. It is clear that arrests, prosecutions and significant custodial sentences are very necessary in order to create a real deterrent to this criminal activity that so badly damages local economies.”

This seminar is but one of the latest in the MPA’s continued campaign against piracy.

Col. Anil Nayer – Head of Operations, MPA added, â€œWe are looking forward to partnering with students in our battle against film piracy. The seminar aims to provide more insight to the students on film piracy and create ambassadors for our anti-piracy campaign.”

In the Asia-Pacific region, the MPA is focused on targeted educational outreach, in particular aimed at university students, delivering the dual messages that piracy negatively impacts people, businesses and national economies, and that intellectual property is incredibly valuable to those same groups.