The National
Dubai, Apr 20: If you’re watching pirated Indian-language TV, it may be time to switch channels. The Ministry of Economy has been leading a campaign to seize illegal cable TV receivers.
Digital satellite receivers provided by Dish TV, one of India’s leading direct-to-home providers, give Indian viewers more than 200 channels, but they are being installed around the Gulf region illegally.
The main incentive for many viewers is that they can get a package of channels in their own local language such as Kerala’s Malayalam.
Dish TV was endorsed by one of Bollywood’s top actors, Shah Rukh Khan, which made it even more popular among the Indian community.
The Government’s move is part of its efforts to combat piracy and copyright infringements, officials say. Dish TV is not allowed outside India, but the antennas are illegally smuggled into the Gulf states.
The Ministry of Economy has been co-ordinating with police across the Emirates where raids were carried out against Dish TV dealers in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.
In some cases, operators who provide legal TV packages authorised in the UAE help install Dish TV sets, which makes it difficult for law enforcement officers to uncover those operating illegitimately. “We have requested the various parties involved to tighten controls over unauthorised Dish TV boxes that illegally enter through a neighbouring country and are sold in our local markets,” said Mohammed Ahmed bin Abdulaziz al Shihhi, the ministry’s general manager, in a statement yesterday.
He said violations of intellectual property laws reflected “negatively on the national economy”.
Industry officials have been relieved by the government measures, which they have long lobbied for. They say that it is not fair to allow illegal operators to profit from piracy while legal providers lose out. Scott Butler, the chief executive of the Arabian Anti-piracy Alliance, was quoted in a statement as saying: “The right to protect intellectual property is not only logical but a legal right as well.”
Illegal pay TV is simply an unacceptable violation of intellectual property rights, he said.
“There is a wrong public impression that it is acceptable to acquire pirated entertainment because movie producers and studios profit a lot from them,” Mr Butler said. He said people should consider this issue from a different perspective. What if it was their own creative works that were being stolen? How would they react?
Providers of UAE-licensed TV packages such as Zee TV are particularly harmed by the illegal distribution of Dish TV because they also cater to the Indian community. “It’s unfair to bring something parallel,” a company official said.