Piracy
To combat counterfeiting, piracy and the misuse of copyrighted films, The Federation Against Copyright Theft, FACT, is the representative and investigative organisation for major British and American film companies, media manufacturers and distributors.
The Motion Picture Licensing Company (International) Limited, MPLC, are working with FACT to highlight the possible risk of film copyright abuse in the workplace. As you will be aware, pre-recorded films (on any format available for ‘private use only’), are frequently used for staff entertainment and training on offshore installations. All these screenings must be properly licensed for ‘public performance’ as per the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
With advances in modern technology, traditional compliance methods have been difficult both to administer and to police. MPLC and FACT now encourage your company to urgently review any existing licensing agreements and transfer to the new MPLC Umbrella Licence®. It enables legal access to any titles from over 350 Hollywood Studios and Independent producers’, at one low annual fee. Crucially, licensees may use their own legally obtained DVDs, as often as they wish. It is a simple, economical and effective copyright solution.
Europeans downloaded €10 billion worth of pirated music, film, television and software from the Web in 2008, according to a recent report. The International Chamber of Commerce report showed that digital piracy could escalate and cost media and entertainment industries €240 billion in retail revenue and a staggering 1.2 million jobs by 2015.
As a responsible business, you will recognise the importance of guarding your clients against potential liability and will already be aware that on-line downloads are an increasing threat.
