i am out 57

Impending windfall for video pirates Artemis Tower Oct 13, 05 2:24pm



I refer to your report entitled Levy on imported films to support local market, in which Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Rais Yatim proposed to impose a levy on foreign films. It is not exactly very cheap to go to the cinemas to see foreign films at the moment, even without any levy on the said films. With the increase in cost for seeing a foreign film, along with increase in prices of fuel, food and other goods, I can safely conclude that Malaysian consumers are going to react as follow:
For those who only see foreign films: See less films in cinema, increase purchase of illegal DVDs.
For those who do see some local movies at the cinema: Cut down existing budget for local films to nil and channel them to budget for foreign films. Then purchase illegal DVDs of local films.
Looks like the illegal DVD industry is looking at an impending windfall.


Most of the laws are made to protect something or some organizations. Only the public is always made to pay. The films business is no exception. When the government had done with the piracy, the cost of each DVD is not reduced. In fact it remains the same or goes up. Now the manufacturers can hike up the prices since the consumers can't say much about it. At one time the government did say to cap the ceiling price but when the minister changed portfolio nothing is heard of again. The manufacturers won the case. The public lost the battle for cheaper cost of goods. The piracy of these products come to play again. It thumbs up at the greedy companies I still believe the original DVDs can be sold at around $15 each and still make profit. For example Jac's album costs about $45 each made and produced locally. Something is not right in the price factor. When the public doesnt want to buy, the industry loses in the end. Now I heard the cost of future film shows will hike up again....and the consumers have to pay