MUMBAI: In an attempt to combat music piracy the Indian Music Industry (IMI) has recommended a two-point programme..

The programme advocates the setting up of an enforcement agency within the police department. This will protect copyrights and levying statutory damages to ensure deterrent punishments to the pirates.

The IMI has suggested that the national enforcement agency it has suggested should ideally comprise of an anti piracy organisation by the government that will operate at the national level. This force will help expand the reach and powers of IMI's anti piracy operations conducted across the country and bring about efficiency and speed in law enforcement against piracy.

IMI has also urged the central government to impose stringent statutory damages as a deterrent punishment for pirates. Leniency in the Indian judicial system and law enforcement is resulting in a dilutiion of efforts undertaken by IMI to dissuade pirates.

The IMI has given the example of the US where imposition of statutory damages has reduced piracy levels. There a person caught with pirated products is charged with statutory damages of $ 150,000. In India a person caught with pirated products is charged with a maximum fine of Rs. 5000 and/or one year's imprisonment.

IMI president Vijay Lazarus added, "IMI welcomes the I&B Ministry's initiative of seeking monthly reports on piracy-related raids and seizures conducted from the states. We also need to remember here that music and entertainment software should be treated as human creative inputs. It is relevant to point out that 70 per cent of CD and recording equipment costs comprise of the creative inputs of music artistes."