Maharashtra cyber cell bans 11 websites for streaming Indian movie on Facebook Live

[Len]

Producers of the film had lodged a complaint on July 9 with the cyber cell of the film going viral on Facebook.

Piracy continues to be a burgeoning issue across the world and this time around it is Rajkumar Hirani’s Sanju that has become victim to the menace. The Sanjay Dutt biopic is breaking box office records and is all set to emerge as the highest grossing film of 2018 as it has so far collected Rs 284 crore.

As many as 11 websites were banned Maharashtra Cyber Cell that provided illegal weblinks to the film on Facebook Live, Hindustan Times reported.

The producers of the film had lodged a complaint on July 9 with the cyber cell, stating that the movie went viral via Facebook Live, the police said.

"Most of the entertainment houses face losses due to illegal streaming. They should complain to us and help in carrying out investigation. We will ensure that the website is banned with immediate effect," said Balsingh Rajput, Superintendent of Police, State Cyber Cell.

The total number of websites banned so far for sharing pirated content online has reached 53 over the last few months.

Another victim of cyber criminals this year was Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Padmaavat, which was livestreamed from a movie theatre. Almost 80 minutes of the film had been viewed and the page admin even put out a picture later, claiming that around 20,000 people had watched the film within the first hour; 15,000 people had shared the link; and almost 5 lakh people had become a part of it.

Piracy has caused losses of up to 10-30 per cent of overall revenues, according to a FICCI-EY report on media and entertainment sector.

Despite being completely digitised, the Indian film industry grapples with piracy which is rampant in the market. The entire value chain is affected when films are made available online within hours of their theatrical release.

High content prices, low income level and cheaper internet infrastructure are major factors leading to content piracy. In some of the cases, films have been leaked even before their release dates.

Camcording in cinema halls is a major sources of leaks as over 90 per cent of new releases originate from cinemas.