Message in a comic: do not download movies

A local adaptation of a comic book originally developed by New Zealand Federation against Copyright Theft,it tells the story of two boys who become trapped in a virtual city after downloading an unauthorised copy of a movie from a peer-to-peer file sharing site. The comic has been endorsed by the Department of Information Technology,Mumbai Police,Data Security Council of India (DSCI) and the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM).

Prakash Nathan,vice president of UTV Motion Pictures,said: “Internet piracy is becoming increasingly rampant among online audiences. We must begin to reach out to people across age brackets and social strata. Schoolchildren are at an impressionable age and do not always know the distinction between what is legal and illegal. The comic book is a valuable step in educating them about online piracy.”

Sanjay Tandon,vice president of Reliance Big Entertainment,said: “There is no doubt that Internet piracy has hurt the film industry. It jeopardises the ability for a movie to make money and impacts the level of investment available for new films. Further,it is also important to remember that profits from piracy can be diverted to fund other illegal activities as well.”