MOVIE PIRACY IN INDIA

A few days ago, I was at Planet M near VT in Bombay. I was particularly interested in new DVDs. There were quite a few that I liked, but I didn't buy any. Each DVD was for 800 bucks or more. Too much.

An hour later, I was exploring the bylanes surrounding VT and I found street vendors selling the latest DVDs for 80 bucks. Of course they were all pirated versions. Also, most of the discs were compilation of 4-5 movies on each DVD. What would you do? Would you buy the original DVD for 800 rupees or would you buy the pirated DVDs for 80 rupees?

It is a crime to buy or sell stolen goods (yes, that's what piracy is), but we've all done it sometime in our lives. My question is - can it be stopped or brought under control? I know piracy can NEVER be stopped completely. Just like stealing, murder, war etc will always be there, so will piracy. But it is possible to control it. This can be done by implementing the following steps -

Firstly, make the laws clear and correct to the T. There should be no ambiguities or loopholes.

Secondly, implement the laws harshly with strong punitive actions.

Thirdly, run a highly visible campaign for making people aware of the pitfalls and negatives of supporting piracy.

And fourthly, the manufacturers of original products must bring down the prices to a reasonable level.

So, did I buy the DVDs from the street vendor? No, I didn't. I had the money and the inclination too, but I just wasn't sure about the quality. Piracy comes at a price too, you know.