Video Piracy on the Increase
Recent studies revealed that video piracy in Egypt is on the increase in spite of the enforcement of a copyright law in the country. Observers believe the law still has defects, and the fines and prison sentences prescribed have failed to curb the phenomenon. Moreover, judicial follow-ups are rather slow and verdicts usually take from six months to a year.
In 1992, Egypt introduced some amendments to its original copyright law. Penalties were substantially increased and raids carried out by the anti-piracy police unit in coordination with the Censorship Department cracked down on offenders and counterfeiters. However, entertainment and film producing companies argue that the Egyptian government has failed to sustain its activities to this effect. Hence, the Egyptian film industry is reportedly losing nearly $15 million each year to video piracy.