MOVIE PIRACY IN TURKEY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ISTANBUL 001449 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT PLEASE PASS USTR FOR JCHOE-GROVES AND LERRION DEPT PLEASE PASS USPTO FOR JURBAN AND EWU USDOC FOR ITA/MAC/CRUSNAK E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETRD KIPR USTR TU SUBJECT: MOVIE PIRACY IN TURKEY ISTANBUL 00001449 001.3 OF 002 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: We recently met with AMPEC, the Motion Picture Association,s subsidiary in Turkey, to discuss movie piracy in Turkey and the state of anti-piracy efforts. AMPEC views current Turkish legislation as sufficient and feels that its training seminars have helped highlight the problem for police, making security officials more cooperative. Well-organized gangs are the lead producers and purveyors of pirated movie copies, but AMPEC believes that there has been substantial improvement against piracy in the Turkish market. However, lengthy litigation and a substantial case backlog remain as obstacles to successful fulfillment of AMPEC,s anti-piracy battle. Additionally, problems related to the destruction of seized materials have resulted in overflowing warehouses, which in turn has lead to a freeze on police operations. End Summary. -------------- AMPEC and Movie Piracy in Turkey -------------- ¶2. (SBU) We met on August 11 with Ms. Nilufer Sapancilar, general manager of the anti-piracy group AMPEC, the Turkish subsidiary of the Motion Picture Association. AMPEC,s efforts involve all forms of digital piracy, including work with MUYAP, a music anti-piracy group, and the Business Software Alliance (led by Microsoft),as well as with Sony for its Playstation video games. AMPEC works on two main fronts. On the "macro level," AMPEC lobbies Parliament and the responsible ministries for legislative reforms and has an active public relations campaign. On the "micro level" AMPEC is directly involved in anti-piracy efforts, setting up operations with the police and, after successful raids, tracking court cases to conclusion. ¶3. (SBU) While noting that it is impossible to be certain, Sapancilar estimated there are at least 3 million pirated copies of music and movies in the Turkish market. She also noted sales of pirated music are becoming less prevalent as the Internet increasingly becomes the source for illegally obtained music. Pirated movie downloading is a recent phenomenon linked to the introduction of high-speed Internet and AMPEC is seeing an increase in illegal movie downloads. In previous years, pirated movies were imported into the Turkish market, but AMPEC now usually encounters domestic production. Pirated movie production is done through organized rings that are usually family or regionally-based. Sapancilar commented that a certain gang known to operate in Istanbul's Tahtakale district is from the city of Kayseri while another in the Kadikoy district is made up of people from eastern Turkey. Legal production facilities are also involved in illegal production, she explained, citing an ongoing criminal case against a legitimate factory that also produced illegal copies. -------------- No Problems with Anti-Piracy Legislation -------------- ¶4. (SBU) When asked how she views the current anti-piracy legislation, Sapancilar said that the latest law, passed in 2004, "is a good law." She added ruefully that "the best law was one passed in 2001, but there were problems with implementation, since fines were too high and judges and prosecutors were reluctant to punish poor pirates.," "Now it's different," she added, describing the current sliding scale of penalties. Sellers now can get up to three months in jail or a 5,000 YTL fine. Producers of pirated materials receive a 50,000 to 150,000 YTL fine or two to four years in jail. Lastly, "banderole" criminals, counterfeiters who create the holographic stickers used to mark merchandise as genuine products, can be punished with up to six years in jail or a 250,000 YTL fine. Sapancilar noted penalties are adequate when applied properly. -------------- -------------- Anti-Piracy Operations and Support: Solid Police Cooperation -------------- -------------- ¶5. (SBU) AMPEC initiates anti-piracy raids based on information received from their hotline or from in-house investigations and inspections. Once AMPEC determines that pirated materials are present at a location, AMPEC lawyers request a warrant from a judge. Armed with the warrant, AMPEC works with the police to organize a raid. Following a successful operation, criminal cases are initiated by the public prosecutor against the defendant. In Turkish courts, ISTANBUL 00001449 002.3 OF 002 additional parties may petition to join the case if they feel that they have been harmed by the defendant. AMPEC takes advantage of this mechanism to aid the prosecution by testifying and filing complaints during the court proceedings. AMPEC lawyers follow cases to their conclusion, including through the appeals process. ¶6. (SBU) Sapancilar told us that 95% of operations lead to criminal charges. The few that do not lead to charges are usually because "the pirate runs away or is not present, so a legal case cannot be brought against them." She noted that cooperation on the part of the police has improved. AMPEC arranges training seminars for police and municipal officials to teach them the current law and to train them in spotting pirated goods. This training has been effective, as she claims that there has been "an 80% drop in pirated copies in the market." She underscored that police are cooperative, judges, realities are changing, and both are seeing the reality of the damages of piracy. AMPEC works most frequently with the Istanbul Police since it feels that municipal authorities and market police (zabita) lack the will and capability to crack down on piracy. Unfortunately, many of the Istanbul police officers AMPEC has worked with have been sent elsewhere in Turkey, requiring a constant training effort on AMPEC,s part. The next AMPEC seminar is scheduled for September 5. -------------- -------------- After the Raids: Problems With Court Backlogs and Seized Goods -------------- -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Despite the vast majority of raids resulting in criminal cases, the conviction rate is still disappointingly low. Sapancilar noted that prosecutions are lengthy and in the meantime, pirates continue with their illegal activities. This is a significant problem for AMPEC and a topic of discussion with the MPA. Sapancilar stressed that AMPEC,s biggest difficulties are the backlog of cases and the long duration of court cases. ¶8. (SBU) Another problem is the difficulty AMPEC faces in destroying seized goods. Normally, seized goods are stored either in warehouses run by AMPEC or by the public prosecutor's office during the trial. However, even after a conviction is obtained, a special court decision is needed to destroy the pirated copies, according to Sapancilar. She commented that it "takes a long time to get those decisions, so in the meantime the warehouses are filled up and they have run out of space to store the seized goods." Due to the lack of space to store seized goods, police have temporarily stopped raids. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶9. (SBU) AMPEC sees "implementation getting better and better everyday," emphasized Sapancilar. "If you had talked to me a year and a half ago, I would have had many more complaints, but things are better now and improving." Improvement does seem to be the message. AMPEC seminars appear to be creating awareness of the seriousness of the problem and a more cooperative police force. AMPEC views legislation as adequate, however the backlog of cases and the length of time it takes to adjudicate a case impair effective implementation. Additionally, the current system for destroying seized pirated goods is not adequate, as a lack of storage space makes it impossible for police to continue anti-piracy raids. SSOUDKIRK