Viacom18 takes K Sera Sera to Cyber Crime cops over piracy

K Sera Sera was one of the firms hired by Viacom18 for digital integration of the film

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Mumbai | January 12, 2017

Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd. (Viacom18) has registered an FIR against K Sera Sera Digital Cinema Limited for allegedly releasing the pirated print of its film Force-2 on the online platform. The complaint has been registered with the Cyber Crime Investigation Cell, BKC, Mumbai.

The film Force-2 starring John Abraham, Sonakshi Sinha and Tahir Raj Bhasin was released on November 18, 2016 and the pirated print of the film was found online on the same day.

Viacom18 has alleged in the complaint that the film had been leaked online by K Sera Sera, thereby infringing copyright along with other offences under the Information Technology Act, Copyright Act and Indian Penal Code.

K Sera Sera was one of the firms hired by Viacom18 for digital integration of the film. The digital content package (DCP) was sent to K Sera Sera before the release of the film. In order to tackle online piracy and identify the leak at source, Viacom18 had developed a pioneering internal security mechanism, involving integration of unique identifiers in each copy of the film before the DCPs were distributed to the digital integrators.

Upon the release of the film, it was found that Force-2 was available in full length on various websites, for both unauthorised download and streaming, in a blatant act of movie piracy. Investigations by the Viacom18 team revealed that pirated copies originated from the one that was sent to K Sera Sera for digital integration.

The company spokesperson issued a statement stating, “It is really frustrating to suffer a loss due to online piracy as tremendous amount of money is invested in production, promotion and distribution of a film. This mechanism developed by us can trace the source of piracy and further strengthens our commitment to battle movie piracy. I believe that a concerted effort from the Indian film industry and support from the general public will go a long way in eradicating this illegal act. The Cyber Cell is presently investigating the offences and it is likely to bust the nexus involved in this illegal activity. We hope the culprits are caught and brought to justice.”

Viacom18, through its film studio Viacom18 Motion Pictures, has produced and distributed some films like Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Queen, Mary Kom, Drishyam, Manjhi and others. The organisation has aggressively worked towards adding science into the art of movie-making with its use of data analytics for greenlighting movies and now with its pioneering internal security mechanism for tackling movie piracy.

Info@BestMediaInfo.com

Info@BestMediaInfo.com