Iran will ‘sue’ pirate sat-TV stations

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The Director-General of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) said that satellite channels which broadcast state television content without permission are breaking the law. He added that IRIB intends to sue them.

The report, carried by BBC Monitoring, cites the Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran radio, in Tehran, as its source, and continues: “Seyyed Ezzatollah Zarghami added that there is another truth behind the scenes here. At the end of the day, of these networks that were created through unrestrained support from the hegemony, have no choice but to broadcast IRIB-produced content in order to attract audiences.”

Behind the report is the fact there’s widespread piracy and a wholesale contempt for copyrights. The latest version of Microsoft’s Vista computer software is available for less than $8 on the streets of Tehran (which some might argue is its true worth, but that’s another debate). Movie making in Iran, once a proud and highly-regarded tradition is in the absolute doldrums hampered by state censorship and widespread illegal distribution of material.

Cheap DVD copies of new movies, local and Hollywood imports, are readily available in the street from sellers known as "filmi". This underground industry also harms local film producers who see zero return from their heavy investment and whose films are shunned in the cinema from viewers have already seen them at home on DVD.

The same extends to what can only be described as “informal” broadcasting of this and similar content. Yousef Mugharbil, President of Rotana Digital Entertainment, said: "Piracy laws are in place but are not being implemented. For every $1 we make another $1 is lost due to piracy. There are 63 channels illegally showing Rotana content who cover our logo with black boxes.”


Source:RapidTVNews