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In forceUpdated to 1 Jan 2006Read it in Bahasa Malaysia
Contents

Act of Parliament

Film Censorship Act 2002

Feedback & supportCensorship of films

Part I

Preliminary

Official textFrom Laws of Malaysia Online, unchanged

(1)

This Act may be cited as the Film Censorship Act 2002.

(2)

This Act shall come into operation on a date to be appointed by the Minister by notification in the Gazette.

(1)

For the avoidance of doubt, it is hereby declared that this

Act does not apply to the Federal Government or the Government of any State.

(2)

This Act shall not apply to—

(a)

any film sponsored by the Federal Government or the

Government of any State;

(b)

any film transhipped within Malaysia for delivery at a place outside Malaysia;

(c)

any film whether produced in or imported into Malaysia which the owner does not intend to exhibit in Malaysia or any film which is produced in Malaysia and intended by the owner for worldwide distribution, other than

Malaysia, where a permit or a certificate of exemption has been granted under section 8 by the Board;

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(d)

any film, not being obscene or lewd, which is in the possession of any person or his agent and is intended for his own private use and not for the purpose of sale, hire, distribution, public exhibition or circulation so long as the film remains in such possession.

(3)

This Act shall not be construed as permitting the censorship of any film or film-publicity material published, displayed, circulated, exhibited, distributed or transmitted over the internet or over intranets.

s 3Interpretation

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires—

“film-publicity material” includes the original or duplicate of the whole or any part of a picture, photograph, poster, figure, handbill, slide, newspaper advertisement and any other form of advertisement printed or recorded on any material and intended to publicise a film;

“article” means apparatus or equipment used to make and process film or its duplicate, and includes a television set and video cassette recorder;

“prescribed” means prescribed by the Minister by regulations made under this Act;

“film” includes the original or duplicate of the whole or any part of—

(a)

a cinematograph film; and

(b)

a videotape, diskette, laser disc, compact disc, hard disc and other record, of a sequence of visual images, being a record capable of being used as a means of showing that sequence as a moving picture, whether or not accompanied by sound;

“Appeal Committee” means the Appeal Committee established under section 22;

“Board” means the Board of Censors established under section 4;

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Film Censorship

“Minister” means the Minister responsible for matters pertaining to the censorship of films and film-publicity materials and, except in relation to the power to make regulations, includes the Deputy

Minister;

“proper officer of customs” has the meaning assigned to that expression in the Customs Act 1967 [Act 235];

“Enforcement Officer” means an Enforcement Officer appointed under section 29 and includes an Assistant Enforcement Officer and a Junior Enforcement Officer;

“police officer” means a police officer, as defined under the Police Act 1967 [Act 344], not below the rank of an

Inspector;

“owner”, in relation to a film or film-publicity material, means—

(a)

a person who is entitled to the possession of the film or film-publicity material whether it is made or produced in

Malaysia or imported from outside Malaysia; or

(b)

any person who has the film or film-publicity material in his control, possession or ownership at the time in question;

“Chairman” means the Chairman of the Board appointed under paragraph 4(1)(a) and includes the Vice-Chairman and a temporary

Chairman who executes the duties of the Chairman;

“alteration” includes the excision, addition, deletion, erasure, reconstruction or removal of scenes, dialogues or sound, in totality or in part, of a film, and also includes the insertion or amendment of subtitles in a film;

“Secretary” means the Secretary provided to the Board under subsection 4(3), and includes an Assistant Secretary;

“exhibition” includes the production of any music, speech, noise or other sound which accompanies the projection of a film, and

“exhibit” shall be construed accordingly.

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Part II

Board of Censors

Part III

Control of Films and Film-Publicity Materials

Part IV

Appeal

Part V

Powers of the Minister

Part VI

Part VII

Miscellaneous

Part VIII

Repeal, Transitional and Saving Provisions

Schedules