India - Cinépolis Ghaziabad introduces anti-piracy squad

[Len]

MUMBAI: Taking a step towards addressing the problem of piracy in cinema & exhibition industry in India, Cinépolis movie theatre circuit recently announced the formation of anti-piracy squad at its Ghaziabad property. The squad at Cinépolis, Ghaziabad will be keeping a strict vigil using CCTV cameras & manual checks to thwart any attempt of illegal recording of movies within its premisis.

The ease of access to technology has meant that over the years, piracy has become more rampant. Cinépolis India recently witnessed an incident at RED Mall Ghaziabad where a suspected pirate visited the cinema to engage in piracy. The suspect was spotted by the Anti-Piracy squad, nabbed & handed over to authorities.

This squad will patrol the cinema premises to keep a check, catch perpetrators in the act and hand them over to the concerned authorities. The squad comprises 3 people who will keep a manual check along with the security team who have been trained to identify special phones, camcorders or any equipment that might be used for piracy. Special CCTV cameras have been installed to enable on-screen monitoring and specialized equipment may also be used in the future to strengthen the process.

Cinépolis India director – strategic initiatives Devang Sampat said, "In recent years there has been a spike in unauthorized duplication of copyrighted content that is then sold at substantially lower prices in the 'gray' market. This is turning into a big issue for the cinema exhibition business as well. Committed to bringing a positive change in the industry, Cinépolis has introduced its first Anti-Piracy squad at Cinépolis, RED Mall, Ghaziabad, to keep piracy at bay within its premises. This is a first-of-its-kind attempt in the multiplex industry towards curbing piracy. We may introduce more squads across other properties if we identify any piracy related activity.”