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WAVES 2025 – Anti-Piracy Challenge: A key initiative under the “Create in India” program to promote indigenous innovation in digital content security.
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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.
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Event Details: WAVES 2025 will be held from May 1-4, 2025, in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
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Challenge Objective: To advance technologies like fingerprinting and watermarking to combat digital piracy.
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Overwhelming Response: Received over 1,600 registrations and 132 idea submissions.
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Finalists Announced: Top seven finalists selected for their innovative solutions in digital content security.
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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).
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Digital Piracy Problem: Estimated 90 million users engaged in online video piracy in India in 2024, causing potential losses of USD 1.2 billion.
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WAVES Purpose: A global event positioning India as a hub for media innovation, IP creation, and content development.
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Sectors Covered: Broadcasting, Films, TV, Radio, Animation, Gaming, Comics, Advertising, Emerging tech (Generative AI, AR/VR/XR), and Digital Media Platforms.
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Impact: Supports the Creative Economy and contributes to the growth of India’s Media and Entertainment (M&E) sector.
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Supported By: CII, IPHouse, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), and Hack2Skill.
