KUALA LUMPUR – The entertainment and media industry loses an estimated RM3 billion every year to digital piracy, stakeholders said.
In a joint statement today, industry players said the loss puts thousands of jobs at risk, and incurs tax losses of up to RM500 million every year.
One of the signatories, producer and director Datuk Yusof Haslam, said these crimes would not be curbed without intervention from authorities.
Another signatory, Astro regulatory director Laila Saat, said such practices would deter industry players from investing in premium content.
“Left unchecked, piracy will retard the entertainment industry as it doesn’t make economic sense for anyone to create or invest in premium content like rights to the Fifa World Cup, only to have them stolen and used illegally,” she said.
The honorary secretary of Persatuan Penerbit Filem, Zahrin Aris, added the current penalties punishing digital penalties were too light and did not highlight the damage done to the industry.
“The penalty for those who use media boxes loaded with unauthorised apps is too light. The penalty should be heavier. The value of the content being pirated is definitely higher than the fine of only RM30,000,” he said.
The joint statement went on to applaud recent actions by authorities against digital piracy, highlighting how an IT company in Shah Alam was prosecuted this month “for selling technology or equipment for the purpose of the circumvention of technological protection measures”.
They also pointed towards the case of a 46-year-old woman who pleaded guilty on February 16 to possessing six media boxes that allow illegal streaming of Astro’s content.
The woman was fined RM30,000 under Section 232(2) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, making her the first illicit streaming device (ISD) vendor to be charged.
The joint statement went on to appeal to the government to carry a review of existing regulations for copyright holders to be able to protect their works.
They claimed that there is an urgent need to address key enablers of digital piracy, improve the blocking of illegal streaming sites over the web, and prohibit the open selling of ISDs over e-commerce platforms. – The Vibes, February 23, 2021
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