UPA bosses step in to solve copyright dispute

The government has assured the Indian film industry that its grievances over the copyright amendment bill will be addressed and resolved soon.

“We had a very fruitful meeting with senior members of the Congress and the UPA government. Information and broadcasting minister Ambika Soni, human resource development minister Kapil Sibal and Congress general secretary Ahmed Patel met us on Tuesday. They told us that their government is committed to the principles of justice and not personalities,” TP Aggarwal, president of the Film Federation of India, told reporters on Wednesday.

He added that the meeting was held at the behest of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who was approached last week by members of film associations from South India. The filmmakers have been instructed by the government to engage the authors and composers in a dialogue and look for a reasonable solution to the ongoing copyright dispute. “The government has assured us that both sides will be heard fairly and only then will the law be implemented. This is a practical approach, as it will not jeopardise our business,” producer Mukesh Bhatt said.

Meanwhile, the proposed pan-India strike that the producers were threatening in the first week of January has been called off. “The bandh was to protest against government apathy towards the producers. However, in the light of this positive development, we have unanimously decided to postpone the strike till all our legitimate demands are met,” he added.

Bhatt insisted that the producers did not want a fight with lyricists and composers who have been demanding a 12.5% share each in the profits earned on a film’s music. “We want to have a positive dialogue with them and find a fair solution,” he said.

Filmmaker Ramesh Sippy felt that the government had escalated the copyright matter without consulting the producers and therefore their voices remained unheard. “However, now the government is open to taking into account our point of view. It is fortunate that they are seeking justice for both sides, and will not just pass a one-sided law.”

Meanwhile, there are voices of dissent within the industry. “There is no question of arriving at an amicable solution. We are demanding a complete rollback of the copyright amendment bill since its implementation will break the back of producers,” said Ashoke Pandit, senior executive member of the Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association.

Several writers’ associations including Bharat Cine and TV Writers Association and Film Crafts Federation are also opposing the implementation of the bill, as they believe that the implementation would hurt the prospects of new and upcoming talent.