By IANS
New Delhi : The publishers of the popular Harry Potter series of books by British author J.K. Rowling have launched a major initiative to combat piracy prior to the release of its final instalment in India this month.
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” is due to be published around the world on July 21 and the book is expected to go on sale 6.30 a.m. that day in Indian bookshops, according a press release issued by Penguin India and Bloomsbury Publishing Thursday.
The publishers have already garnered an advance booking of 240,000 copies in India alone.
Legal consultancy firm ACA-Law has been appointed to work closely with police to “counter piracy for the new Harry Potter”, the release said.
“Vigilance cells will be set up around the country and there will also be 24-hour helpline number which would ensure immediate action should a case of piracy be reported,” said Akash Chittranshi of ACA-Law.
The publishers have also engaged leading intellectual property investigators IP-Boutique to “keep a watch on known offenders and pirate business locations”, it added.
The Indian copyright law is very stringent as far as punishment is concerned. Any person found dealing in pirated publications can be arrested and charged with the offence of infringement of copyright, which is punishable with up to three years in jail and fine.
Unfortunately, enforcement of the law has been severely lacking because of lack of the cooperation and priority it gets from police, the publishers said.
The Harry Potter series has sold 325 million copies worldwide and has been translated into 64 languages. All six Potter books have been number one sellers around the world.
In India too, the last Harry Potter book went on to smash all records with over 160,000 copies sold in hardback. First day’s sales were estimated at 100,000 copies.