New Delhi, Oct 30 (ANI): Lauding India's efforts to stop piracy, Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) Chairman Dan Glickman has said that New Delhi is way ahead of Beijing in anti-piracy drive.

According to Glickman, India's strong democratic set up is playing a major role in the battle against piracy.

"India believes in the rule of law, and there is a strong democracy, whilehina is centrally controlled and there are various obstacles such as import restrictions. But at the end of the day, both markets are very important," The Hollywood Reporter quoted Glickman, as saying.

Praising recent anti-piracy developments in India, such as the adoption of a resolution in Maharashtra that makes video piracy an offence, Glickman, however, said that "much more needs to be done."

According to MPA data, India's domestic industry suffers more from piracy here than do imported films, which account for just 20 percent of pirated goods.

"My goal is to build bridges between the Indian and US film industries to address these issues." Glickman said, adding: "With MPA member studios (such as Sony, Warner and Disney) announcing recent co-production deals in India, this is a seminal time for Indo-US film ties."

Earlier, speaking at a meeting of the CII, he said the biggest competitor faced by both Hollywood and Bollywood in India is piracy.

"The film industry needs strong laws to support copyright, strong enforcement of those laws, stiff sentences for people who violate those laws and most important, an understanding by ordinary citizens, the people who love movies, that buying pirated movies hurts the industry and makes it difficult for movie makers to make new films," he said.

Appreciating the effort by Indian counterpart, he said that Hyderabad Film Chambers worked with the Andhra Pradesh Government to create India's first dedicated court to oversee film piracy cases. Modulated enforcement, technology, delivery of exciting new services and public education are the essential elements of a graduated approach to fight intellectual property theft, he said.

Glickman further said that the evolution of on-demand world and the new and enhanced power of consumer choice were impacting the habits and preferences of the audience, adding that moviemakers must turn out quality movies with compelling and entertaining stories that audiences want to see.

"We in the industry must anticipate and respond to change, recognizing that technology is turning out to offer far more opportunity than adversity", he added.

Pointing out that the value of partnership between Hollywood and Bollywood was meaningful, Glickman said that American film producers were forging relationships that they hope would let them tell stories to Indian audiences. (ANI)