Union Cabinet has approved Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill 2023 which includes provisions to prevent the transmission of pirated film content over the Internet, according to Information and Broadcasting Minister Shri Anurag Thakur.
Briefing the media on the Union Cabinet’s choices, he stated that the bill will be submitted in the following session of Parliament. He also stated that the law has provisions for categorizing films based on age group, rather than the current practice of ‘U,’ ‘A,’ and ‘UA’.
‘U’ is for unrestricted public exhibition, ‘A’ stands for adult audiences, ‘UA’ stands for unrestricted public exhibition subject to parental supervision for children under the age of 12, and ‘S’ stands for special category audiences such as doctors and scientists.
It is learned that the amendments seek to add new classifications – “UA-7+”, “UA-13+” and “UA-16+” in place for 12 years.
Besides improving the process to certify films by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), the amendments also seek to bring about uniformity in the categorisation of films and content across platforms.
The amendments are also expected to harmonise the law with executive orders and various Supreme Court judgements.
Thakur said wide-ranging consultations were held with stakeholders on the Bill.
This Bill will live up to the expectations of the industry, This Bill is going to satisfy each and every one without any controversy, the minister said.
He said there were demands from various stakeholders to take action to curb piracy, on age-based film classification and certain redundant provisions in the existing Act.
A Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha in 2019 and the new draft was based on consultations with the film industry and also incorporates the best practices from across the world, he said.
Thakur refrained from sharing more details of the Bill and said its provisions would become clear once the draft legislation is introduced in Parliament.
Last week, Information and Broadcasting Secretary Apurva Chandra, at an event in Mumbai, had said that provisions regarding transmission of film content on the internet were being added in the Bill.
If that happens, it will go a long way in protecting copyright and we will be able to block those websites where pirated content is transmitted. But let’s see how it goes in Parliament and how it proceeds, Chandra had said.