Kill Unlicensed Bill

Crushing pirate discs with heavy machinery (in the photo) is already out of fashion. Experts claim that one can achieve better results using economic methods in the fight against video piracy. This was discussed at last Tuesday’s First National Video Renting Organizers Conference titled Ways to Avoid Breaking Ukraine’s Legislation in Commercial Video Renting.

For the first time a united system of professional cooperation of the video rental market operators was created, Blockbuster Ukraine. It is envisaged that it will secure legal protection for video renting shops and networks’ owners, simultaneously abating expenses on buying licensed and marked video carriers for renting. The centralized system combines the interests of the property rights holders, producers, juridical and law enforcement institutions, and video rental stores and networks. It is supposed that everybody gains from this. Reducing the costs of watching a film by the ultimate consumer (the recommended price for renting being 10 hryvnias per day for DVD and 4 hryvnias for VHS) will perhaps for the first time make it possible to surmount the dumping barriers of the pirate video.

It is an open secret that today far from everybody can afford a licensed DVD costing 80 hryvnias up, while one can buy a pirate copy in the bazaar for 20-25 hryvnias. However, many have already had bitter experience with the latter’s quality. Thus, the end consumer is much more interested in viewing some show or film for ten hryvnias and less. Under such conditions a legal renter will feel quite comfortable, having a permanent client and no fear of inspections.

If those willing to start their own business in this sphere lack primary capital, the problem can be solved through a franchising system for enterprises and private persons. One of the Blockbuster Ukraine’s major requirements is rejecting products infringing copyrights.

The campaign against unlicensed products has united the Anti-Pirate Cinema and Video Association, Ukraine’s Internal Affairs Ministry, State Intellectual Property Department, and others. Trade attache of the US Embassy in Ukraine Frank Carrico also promised to support this initiative in every possible way.