NEW YORK, NY – Rajkumar Akella, Managing Director, Theatrical, India of comScore will receive the MPA Asia-Pacific Copyright Educator Award at the CineAsia Awards Ceremony on Thursday, 8 December at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong.
“Rajkumar has made great strides with the MPA in promoting copyright education,” stated Andrew Sunshine, Vice President of The Film Expo Group. “We are delighted to partner with the MPA to give this award each year. Our partnership with them continues to recognize those within our industry who are working hard to protect the rights of all films around the region.”
Since its inception in 2005, Rajkumar served as an Executive Member of the Governing Council of the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce – TFCC, (the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh Film Chamber of Commerce)’s Anti Video Piracy Cell (AVPC). In 2011, he was elected as the Honorary Chairman of AVPC’s Governing Council and continues to serve in this capacity. As Chairman of the AVPC, he was instrumental in driving several breakthrough IPR initiatives by setting up a dedicated cyber piracy cell comprising IT professionals within the AVPC. In 2012, he established a strategic alliance, in the presence of the then Chief Minister of the United Andhra Pradesh, with the Motion Picture Dist. Association (MPDA), the Motion Picture Association’s local representative office in India, for knowledge sharing, adopting best practices and jointly tackling issues such as camcording, online theft, in addition to promoting public awareness & educational campaigns on the importance of content protection. Rajkumar has successfully led several enforcement operations through a multi pronged strategy to combat source and online piracy that have resulted in dismantling of operations of significant camcording syndicates operating in India. His efforts and structured approach towards curbing piracy were acknowledged and appreciated by the Scotland Crime & Drug Enforcement Agency at the IP Expo held in London in 2013.
In 2013, he helped develop an innovative, interactive and multi-lingual anti – piracy mobile application iMovieCop (IMC) which was launched by the then US Ambassador to India, Nancy Powell, at the Andhra Pradesh State Police head quarters, Hyderabad. The app provides a common platform to disseminate relevant content protection and copyright information to stakeholders, content owners and enforcement agencies. The app has also been well received by law enforcement authorities and supported by various local screen representatives and associations including the Film and Television Producers Guild of India, representing Bollywood and the MPDA. He has also supported the launch of the Be A Movie Cop quiz, an anti-camcording sensitization program using the Indian Movie Cop portal, in association with leading multiplex chains in India and the MPDA. To date, over 6900 cinema staff from leading multiplex chains across India have been trained on online piracy and deterring camcording in cinemas.
Most recently, Rajkumar engaged with the Government of Telangana and ISPs, to stress on the necessity for the State of Telangana to adopt a dynamic, collaborative model like PIPCU (Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit set up by the City of London Police),which works closely with the creative industry to effectively deal with online piracy. On June 24, 2016, TIPCU (Telangana Intellectual Property Crime Unit) was launched by K.T. Rama Rao, Hon’ble Information Technology Minister, Government of Telangana and H.E. Richard Rahul Verma, US Ambassador to India in association with TFCC, US Government and the MPDA. TIPCU has been regarded as a pioneering initiative, which is set to shape anti –piracy enforcement efforts in India in the future.
Rajkumar is conscious of the power and popularity of the medium of cinema that transcends linguistic, cultural and geographic, technological boundaries and its significant contribution to national economies and the society at large. It is his vision to create partnerships between Indian content owners, creators and stakeholders globally to evolve practical solutions to promote and protect creative content in the digital age.
About CineAsia
CineAsia will take place from 6-8 December 2016 at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre in Hong Kong. The CineAsia trade show is where cinema exhibition and distribution professional come to do business and network. The convention will also feature product presentations and screenings of major upcoming films, exclusive sponsored events, and seminars relating to current and future trends happening across the industry.
About Film Expo Group
The Film Expo Group is the premier organizer of events in the motion picture industry. The Film Expo Group produces CineAsia, held in Hong Kong; CineEurope, held in Barcelona; and ShowEast, held in Miami. Additionally, the group publishes, Film Journal International, a trade magazine and website covering the motion picture industry with a special emphasis on theatrical exhibition.
Additional information on CineAsia can be found at www.cineasia.com.
About GDC Technology Limited (www.gdc-tech.com)
GDC Technology Limited (‘GDC’) is a leading digital cinema solutions provider. GDC develops, manufactures and sells media servers, content storage systems, theatre management systems and network operations center software for the global cinema industry. GDC is a licensee of the DTS:X object-based immersive sound technology from DTS, Inc. for the development of its media servers. In addition, GDC also provides a suite of digital cinema products and services, including integrated projection systems, 3D products, projector lamps and silver screens. GDC Digital Cinema Network Limited, a GDC subsidiary, manages VPF for over 6,300 theatre screens and with more than 650 studios or motion picture distributors worldwide. For more information, please visit www.gdc-tech.com.
About Hong Kong Tourism Board
The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is the supporting organization of CineAsia. The Hong Kong Tourism Board is a government-subvented body tasked with marketing and promoting Hong Kong as a travel destination and enhancing visitors’ experience once they have arrived. In fulfilling its objectives, the HKTB organizes comprehensive campaigns and a year-round programme of events, which also serve to provide a business platform for travel-related sectors. The HKTB also established Meetings and Exhibitions Hong Kong (MEHK) to strengthen the city’s position as the prime destination for meetings, incentive trips, conventions, and exhibitions (MICE) in Asia. MEHK offers extensive support services that make MICE events simple to setup and smooth to execute.
Media Contact:
Dana Moutis
dana.moutis@filmexpos.com
212.493.4424
@CineAsiaHK | #CineAsia
