19/11/2009

The Queen has sounded a warning against pirates in her annual speech to the houses of parliament while introducing the Digital Economy Bill.

Under the Bill’s two pronged approach as outlined in Lord Mandelson’s report earlier this year, the first stage would be to warn offenders followed by a second stage if necessary where offenders’ broadband connections would be cut off.

UK Film Council (UKFC) Chairman Tim Bevan said, “Piracy hits film revenues, threatens jobs, and restricts reinvestment back into new movies. The digital film future is a hugely exciting prospect, but one obvious downside to a fully digital world is that piracy will be made even easier, which is why we believe strongly that these measures should be supported and introduced as speedily as possible.”

The Bill also proposes a statutory requirement for Channel 4 to invest in film. UKFC CEO John Woodward said, “Including film in Channel 4’s remit for the first time is a prize the UK Film Council has been chasing for many years. Channel 4 has backed some great British films over the years, and strengthening its role in film production even further can only be good for the future of the UK film sector and UK film culture. For as long as Channel 4 has not been required, Film 4 has remained on a knife-edge. The new legislation will finally embed film at the centre of Channel 4’s public service remit.”