Thaindian News

December 3, 2010 (Showbiz PR Wire): In a move to curb piracy, AACT along with the Mumbai Police seized pirated DVDs of latest releases worth Rs. 85 Lakhs

AACT has once again been successful in seizing pirated goods worth Rs. 85 Lakhs in Mumbai. In the last few days, AACT has seized close to 84,070 pirated DVDs. Besides this, AACT also seized 2000 inlay cards, 1,400 blank DVDs, 3 Computers & 42 DVD writers from all over in Mumbai. The DVDs seized were of the latest releases like Break Ke Baad, Harry Potter 7, Guzaarish, Action Replayy, Golmaal 3.

In a raid on 22nd November at Jalna, Badlapur Goan, AACT seized 29,387 pirated DVDs. One accused was arrested & an FIR was filled at Badlapur police station. On the same day, AACT enforcement agencies also successfully raided a video library & a godown at Shivaji Nagar, Govandi.  4600 pirated DVDs were seized along with 22 DVD writers. The total value of the seizure at this raid was close to Rs. 4.85 Lakhs.

Another successful raid was conducted on 26 November with the help of SS Branch at Bandra West in a warehouse, where AACT seized 7,700 pirated DVDs, including blank DVDs worth Rs. 1.2 Lakhs and 2 accused were arrested. An FIR was registered by the AACT’s enforcement agency AA Khan & Associates in Bandra police station.

Some other successful raids were conducted in Jogeshwari and Thane on 19th & 16th November respectively, where the team has seized worth Rs. 8.6 lakhs pirated DVDs. FIRs were filled in the local police stations.

Speaking on behalf of AACT, Harish Dayani, CEO, Entertainment Division, Moser Baer said, “When we started our operations, Mumbai was our main target. Although we have come a long way since, we cannot ignore Mumbai as it is the distribution point for most pirates. Having expanded into North India we have consistently maintained the frequency of our operations here in Mumbai – Thane region.”

AACT has already spread its wings into many cities like Panipat, Lucknow, and Chandigarh etc. On 25 November, AACT also raided a warehouse at Roopnagar, Punjab & arrested 1 pirated at the Roopnagar police station. Besides these cities, AACT will soon probe further into the North & West of India to eradicate piracy.

About AACT:

The Alliance Against Copyright Theft (AACT) is an initiative to address piracy in India – launched jointly between the Hindi and Hollywood studios.  This Bollywood-Hollywood coalition includes UTV Motion Pictures, Moser Baer Entertainment, Reliance Big Entertainment, Eros International, and the Motion Picture Association (representing the six major Hollywood studios).

AACT will target all forms of piracy, both physical and online, affecting India.  While hard goods (pirate DVD) enforcement will be a cornerstone to the coalition, AACT will also take steps to curb the growing Internet and camcord piracy problem in India.  Moreover, AACT will launch public relations and educational outreach campaigns to raise awareness among consumers and government officials regarding the dangers of piracy. While the members of AACT are committed to stopping piracy, our efforts will be limited if the public is also not committed to stopping piracy.  It is our sincere hope that this initiative will convince the public that piracy is not a victimless crime, but rather a crime that funds organized criminal syndicates and terrorism, and similarly, causes irreparable economic harm.

Media Contact:

Shipra Tewari

Relations Associate

9920900197

shipra@moes-art.com

–Showbiz PR Wire