OMB on high alert for ‘Man of Steel’ June 12 premiere

The Optical Media Board (OMB) will be on nationwide alert starting Wednesday when the Hollywood blockbuster “Man of Steel” opens in local theaters, a week before its American premiere.

“This [advance screening] is another important event for the country,” OMB chief Ronnie Ricketts told the Inquirer over the weekend. “It means foreign producers and distributors now trust us, that they feel safe here. They are confident that we can protect their products from pirates.”

The OMB, which regulates the manufacture of optical media and penalizes illegal reproduction,  tied up recently with the Motion Picture Association Asia Pacific (MPA) to ensure that the 2010 Anti-Camcording Law would be enforced and film pirates arrested during the movie’s advance screening,  Ricketts announced.

“The OMB used to do everything on its own. I’m pleased that now we’re closely working with other agencies,” he said.

Another successful Hollywood franchise, “Iron Man 3,” was released here in April a week before its US opening, Ricketts noted.

The OMB chief also mentioned the highly publicized Asian premiere of “Fast and Furious 6” here in May. He said there were no reports of illegal camcording attempts in the country during the advance screenings here.

In April, Ricketts, with MPA spokesperson Noel Sidlacan, visited malls in Metro Manila as part of the board’s anticamcording awareness campaign. Singapore-based Edward Neubronner, MPA director for operations, joined them on one cinema visit.

In an interview on Friday, Sidlacan gave the Inquirer two profiles of an illegal camcorder: “The first is a member of an organized group with the intent to profit from this activity. The second is a young techie who does it for the thrill. We are constantly looking out for them.”

Sidlacan is also connected with the security and risk management company Hill & Associates.

Republic Act 10088 or Anti-Camcording Law “prohibits and penalizes the unauthorized use, possession and operation of audiovisual devices for the unauthorized recording of cinematographic films and other audiovisual works.”

Sidlacan said the MPA had long been preparing for the June 12 screening of “Man of Steel” by conducting regular  briefings for its personnel.

“I can say that we continuously enhance our tactics to averting their (illegal camcorders) plans. These culprits always try to get ahead of law enforcers.”

To ensure the success of its operations, Sidlacan said the MPA made arrangements with member companies—in the case of “Man of Steel” producer Warner Bros. “The producer or local distributor coordinates with cinema owners, who then deploy security personnel in every movie house,” he said.

Ricketts said the OMB would help through “intelligence reporting, dissemination of information and enforcement, especially during the raid of hard goods. “Illegal camcording is still piracy. We want all our cinemas to be secure.”

Ricketts said the OMB, MPA, Philippine National Police, National Bureau of Investigation, Intellectual Property Office and Crime Investigation and Detection Group were all actively involved in the campaign.

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