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Internet Video association of major online cinemas created in Russia

The organization hopes to develop legal online video market
Archive photo ITAR-TASS/ Artiom Starikov
Archive photo ITAR-TASS/ Artiom Starikov

MOSCOW, September 30 (Itar-Tass) - The major online movie theatres of Russian Internet (RuNet) have formed the Internet Video association, which is called upon to protect the market from illegal distribution of video. The association comprises 11 online platforms - Amediateteka.ru, 1tv.ru, ivi.ru, Megogo.net, Molodejj.tv, Now.ru, Tvzavr.ru, Stream.ru, Tvigle.ru, Viaplay.ru, Zoomby.ru.

Association chairman Oleg Rumyantsev said at a news conference on Monday that “it is a non-profit organisation that helps to correctly apply the ‘anti-piracy law,’ without the slightest arbitrariness and without excesses.” “Our association - is largely the result of the appearance of such a law,” he said. “We are engaged in voluntary self-restraint in RuNet.” According to him, “the association is preparing a portal on which people would be able to get information where they can find legal videos.”

Rumyantsev also stressed that the Association intended to conduct a constructive dialogue with the Ministry of Communications, Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Economic Development. “We want to be heard on important issues of the development of the Internet industry,” he said.

The association chairman noted that “an important task at the moment is to establish a dialogue with the search engines, which should consider the introduction of some technical measures for showing the legitimate content first during the web surfing.”

Rumyantsev also said that in early October, there will be a presentation of the association at a meeting of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Information Technology and Communications, at which businesses will express their view on industry’s future development ways. “We want the viewing of movies on legitimate websites to become normal practice,” he stressed.

Deputy head of the association’s supervisory board Yegor Yakovlev said for his part that “the union has appeared timely, because as early as 2018 as many as 100 million Russians will be viewing videos on the Internet, and, of course, it is important that it should be legitimate content.” However, he noted that “to date, all the legal portals make just about 10 percent of the rest of the market.” “The association creation is a good opportunity to form the trend for the legitimate portals to have weight,” said Yakovlev. “We want to legitimately make money, we would like to have more viewers and more videos. It’s our main goal,” he said.

According to the founders of the association, the union of honest players on the Internet market is one of important steps in the development of RuNet based on the principles of freedom, rule of law and protection of intellectual property.