Professional Motion Picture Production and Distribution NEWS

Major New Report to Call for Tough Action on Film Pirates

By staff
posted Dec 9, 2004, 15:54

LONDON -- On Monday 13 December (00:01hrs) the UK Film Council will publish a major new report - Film Theft in the UK - on the scourge of illegal film copying and distribution which is estimated to have cost the UK industry GBP400 million in 2002 alone.

The report was compiled by a special Anti-Piracy Taskforce convened by the UK Film Council and includes thirty actions for both the UK government and the film industry necessary to tackle a trade which is a major source of revenue for organised crime.

Film piracy facts from the Industry Trust for IP Awareness website - www.piracyisacrime.com include:

- Seizures of pirate DVDs increased by a massive 405% from 2002 to 2003 and the seizure level throughout this year is looking to be dramatically up on this figure. Actions against DVD piracy web sites for the first quarter in 2004 are already at a similar level to that for 2003.

- Every weekend, 7,000 open markets in the UK trade in pirate videos and DVDs.

- The value of the black market in pirate DVDs in the UK is estimated at between GBP400 million and GBP500 million in 2003 and is expected to exceed GBP1 billion within three years.

The UK Film Council is the lead agency for film in the UK ensuring that the economic, cultural and educational aspects of film are effectively represented at home and abroad. We invest Government grant-in-aid and Lottery money in film development and production; training; international development and export promotion; distribution and exhibition; and education. Our aim is to deliver lasting benefits to the industry and the public alike through:

- creativity - encouraging the development of new talent, skills, and creative and technological innovation in UK film and assisting new and established film-makers to produce successful and distinctive British films;

- enterprise - supporting the creation and growth of sustainable businesses in the film sector, providing access to finance and helping the UK film industry compete successfully in the domestic and global marketplace;

- imagination - promoting education and an appreciation and enjoyment of cinema by giving UK audiences access to the widest range of UK and international cinema, and by supporting film culture and heritage.