WAVES 2025: Anti-Piracy

WAVES 2025 – Anti-Piracy Challenge: A key initiative under the “Create in India” program to promote indigenous innovation in digital content security.

Why in the news: The Anti-Piracy Challenge is part of WAVES (World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit) 2025, organized by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.

Event Details: WAVES 2025 will be held from May 1-4, 2025, in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Challenge Objective: To advance technologies like fingerprinting and watermarking to combat digital piracy.

Overwhelming Response: Received over 1,600 registrations and 132 idea submissions.

Finalists Announced: Top seven finalists selected for their innovative solutions in digital content security.

Finalist Solutions (Examples): StealthGuard (offline watermarking), Monk DB (AI-native fingerprinting database), NuroTrace (video protection suite), PirateX (DRM system), Tryambaka (blockchain-powered watermarking), SFSS (steganography fingerprinting), Shadow Stamp (marker-based tracking).

Digital Piracy Problem: Estimated 90 million users engaged in online video piracy in India in 2024, causing potential losses of USD 1.2 billion.

WAVES Purpose: A global event positioning India as a hub for media innovation, IP creation, and content development.

Sectors Covered: Broadcasting, Films, TV, Radio, Animation, Gaming, Comics, Advertising, Emerging tech (Generative AI, AR/VR/XR), and Digital Media Platforms.

Impact: Supports the Creative Economy and contributes to the growth of India’s Media and Entertainment (M&E) sector.

Supported By: CII, IPHouse, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), and Hack2Skill.