Move to stop Bollywood-Hollywood piracy

The US-India Business Council (USIBC) has asked the Indian arm of Ernst & Young to study how entertainment and media piracy hurts India as part of its "Bollywood-Hollywood" anti-piracy initiative.

Announcing the move, USIBC President Ron Somers said since the business advocacy organisation rolled out this initiative with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), it has been deluged with interest in how the US and India can work together to stop piracy in the entertainment and media industry.

"The contract with Ernst & Young in India is the logical next step. Ernst & Young will produce a professional study showing just how harmful entertainment and media piracy is to India, focusing on the harm to Indian employment and tax revenue, as well as the Indian citizens who work in this worldwide industry," he said.

"USIBC pledges to work in the near-term to halt piracy of Indian films right here in our backyard. How can we credibly hope to shine the torchlight on piracy in India if we ignore piracy of Indian films here at home?" he asked.

USIBC will provide responsible leadership of this initiative against all piracy of Indian entertainment, whether in India or North America," he said.

Greg Kalbaugh, director of intellectual property for the USIBC, will oversee the study.

Kalbaugh said, "We are delighted to work with Ernst & Young. Showing just how much India is hurt by entertainment and media piracy will set the stage for cooperation in anti-piracy public service advertising, passage of optical disc legislation, and US-India cooperation in stopping cross-border piracy."

The USIBC comprises 250 of the largest US companies investing in India and two dozen of India's largest global companies seeking to strengthen US-India commercial ties.