MUMBAI: Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) has engaged the services of a security services firm to prevent film piracy during the 14th Mumbai Film Festival.

The securities services firm AA Khan and Associates, owned by former Mumbai anti-terrorist squad chief A A Khan, will put in place tenable contingency measure to protect the interests of film production companies, independent producers, film distributors and cinema operators participating in the film festival from the ever looming threat of piracy.

Says Khan, "Over the last decade piracy, in all forms, has become quite rampant across the globe and it is important that people, organisations, policy makers as well as keepers of the law work together to eradicate this problem that affects the social and economical ethos of our country and the world."

While the Government and other concomitant agencies have made progress in developing response procedures to copyright infringement, the notoriety of film piracy in India still manages to discourage filmmakers from submitting their films at film festivals.

The hiring of the security services firm is aimed at combating piracy at source.