Rampant Piracy Makes Goods Cheap and Plentiful in China Eds: CORRECTS to `disc' sted `disk' thruout.
(APW_ENG_19960617.0397)
1) Want the latest Microsoft software or hottest release from Michael Jackson? They can be had on the streets of Chinese cities for a fraction of the price in the United States.
2) China has become a piracy powerhouse, threatening U.S. industries not just on its home turf but abroad.
3) China, according to International Intellectual Property Alliance President Eric Smith, is a ``pirate nation.''
4) Despite a renewed Chinese commitment Monday to step up its anti-piracy efforts, the government admits the problem won't go away quickly.
5) On Sunday, as U.S. and Chinese trade officials held negotiations in central Beijing, hawkers were selling pirated music compact discs for 20 yuan (dlrs 2.50) in the city's university district.
6) Just up the street, computer stores quietly offer CDs jammed with two or three software packages for about 400 yuan (dlrs 50) and much less when buying a computer.
7) ``It's too much to expect that in one or two years we can eliminate piracy,'' Assistant Foreign Trade Minister Sun Zhenyu told reporters last week.
8) China's own statistics, provided to U.S. trade negotiators, give an indication of just how widespread the problem is.
9) Since the start of the year, customs officers have seized over 80,000 pirated compact discs and laser discs at the border.
10) Beijing police in early May confiscated 293,000 fake CDs and 130 originals used to make the copies, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.
11) These figures are believed to be the tip of the iceberg. U.S. entertainment and computer software industry groups claim piracy from China is costing them dlrs 2.3 billion a year in lost sales, increasingly in foreign countries.
12) Industry groups have estimated that registered and underground factories in China may be able to churn out anywhere from 50 to 200 million CDs for music and computers a year, even though the domestic market can only soak up about 5 to 7 million of them.
13) Microsoft Corp.'s investigators caught one compact discs plant in the act in April. The raid in southern Guangxi province, conducted by Chinese police, netted 5,700 discs, many of them programmed in Russian.


China announces biggest VCD smuggling seizure
(APW_ENG_19970812.0089)
1) Chinese authorities have seized 723,000 smuggled and pirated video discs from a ship in Guangdong province in their biggest such case since 1949, official news reports said Tuesday.
2) About half the discs were pornographic, the People's Daily newspaper and the Xinhua news agency reported. They said the seizure was announced Monday, but did not say when it took place or where the smuggled discs came from.
3) China is cracking down on video piracy under pressure from its foreign trading partners to protect patents and copyrights. The country also is in the midst of an anti-pornography campaign in preparation for an autumn congress of the Chinese Communist Party.
4) Guangdong, which borders Hong Kong, is a popular location for smuggling drugs, stolen goods and other contraband into China.
5) The People's Daily said Guangdong officials have seized 1 million smuggled or pirated video discs this year, while Xinhua said the total was higher at 1.5 million discs.
6) In one case, 150,000 video discs were seized in Guangdong in April, while 190,000 discs were seized July 30, the People's Daily said. It said authorities also have shut down six illegal video disc production lines in Guangdong.


Emerging Markets Datafile
(APW_ENG_19980112.0976)
1) January 11, 1998
2) NEW STRAITS TIMES
3) MALAYSIA
4) ENGLISH
5) RM35m piracy seizure
6) R.V. Veera
7) ASIA
8) WorldSources Online, Inc.
9) 201 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, S.E., 2nd Floor
10) WASHINGTON, D.C. 20003
11) Tel: 202-547-4512
12) Fax: 202-546-4194
13) COPYRIGHT 1998 BY WORLDSOURCES ONLINE, INC., A JOINT VENTURE OF FDCH, INC.
14) AND WORLD TIMES, INC. NO PORTION OF THE MATERIALS CONTAINED HEREIN MAY BE
15) USED IN ANY MEDIA WITHOUT ATTRIBUTION TO WORLDSOURCES ONLINE, INC.
16) KUALA LUMPUR, Sat. - Police arrested more than 40 people, who are members of an international syndicate bankrolled by Singaporeans and Taiwanese, and seized more than RM35 million worth of copyright-infringed goods.
17) The two-day operation, codenamed Ops Wayang Satu, led to the closure of two major manufacturing facilities in Kampung Baru, Sungai Buloh, and Taman Shamelin, Cheras, and more than 20 distribution outlets including several warehouses in the Klang Valley.
18) The haul at the end of the day was 680,000 pirated compact discs, video compact discs, and computer software, making it the biggest seizure not only in the country since the enforcement of the Copyright Act 1987, but also in the region.
19) Police investigation revealed the syndicate was using Malaysia as a manufacturing base not only to meet local demand, but also to export the cheap but inferior products to Indonesia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and India.
20) After a tip-off, police put into action Ops Wayang Satu, keeping surveillance on the Sungai Buloh factory, and tailing the syndicate members as they stocked up their pirated products at the distribution centres in the Klang Valley for a month.
21) Industry sources commended the police action, describing it as timely and reflecting the Government's commitment and determination to wipe out syndicates involved in the manufacture of goods protected by copyright.
22) The majority of those under detention were Malaysians, but industry sources said there were several Singaporeans, believed to be representatives of the Singaporean financiers, overseeing the operation here. Ops Wayang Satu, which was only known to a select few among the top brass at the Federal police headquarters, was carried out on Dec 18 and 19 last year.
23) In the first raid on Dec 18, police stormed a factory at Kampung Baru, Sungai Buloh, and arrested 16 people including three women.
24) They also seized more than 180,000 pirated compact discs, video cassette discs, video game discs, and pornographic tapes and RM15 million worth of machinery including two compact disc duplicating machines and two processing machines.
25) Initial police investigation revealed the factory operated round-the-clock with a daily production of 40,000 compact discs and video cassette discs.
26) The operator of the factory, who is believed to be a foreigner and still at large, had raked in RM300 million from the sale of pirated products in the past one year.
27) After questioning the 16, police raided the second factory in Taman Shamelin, Cheras, the next day and recovered more pirated products.
28) At the same time, police teams fanned out and raided about 20 distribution outlets in the Klang Valley.
29) More than 500,000 pirated video cassette discs and compact discs worth about RM20 million were seized from these outlets and 25 people including several Singaporeans were detained.
30) The cost of producing a disc is a mere 40 sen, but retailers at night markets, shopping complexes and five-foot ways sell it for between RM15 and 18 each, while the original discs are being marketed for between RM29 and RM39 each.
31) ``With such a huge profit margin, it is not surprising that foreigners are willing to bankroll the factories costing tens of millions of ringgit each,'' said an industry source.
32) He lauded the latest police action, as it was a manifestation of the Government's determination and resolve to combat both audio and video piracy.
33) Among the pirated products seized were top hit movies currently making their rounds in local cineplexes such as Titanic and Tomorrow Never Dies.
34) Meanwhile, sources said Federal police had requested the assistance of two foreign computer experts to assist investigation.
35) Police Internal Security and Public Order deputy director Deputy Commissioner Datuk Mohd Yusof Said, who is leading the operation, was not available for comment.
36) OPS WAYANG SATU (DEC 18 & 19, 1997) Those arrested - On Dec 18, 1997, 16 people were detained while 25 others were picked up the following day.
37) The haul - 680,000 pirates compact discs, video compact discs, video game discs, pornographic tapes and worth more than RM35 million.
38) Figures are of pirated copies of compact discs, video compact discs, video game discs, pornographic tapes, music cassettes, video tapes and computer software seized. Figures between 1988 and 1993 are not available.
39) The Financiers: Singaporeans and Taiwanese.


Police seize 26,000 CDs, make 11 arrests in anti-piracy campaign
(APW_ENG_19980305.1767)
1) Police said Friday they had seized 26,000 CDs and arrested 11 people in a stepped-up effort against pirating of intellectual property.
2) The CDs, worth an estimated 1 million Hong Kong dlrs (U.S. dlrs 130,000) were taken in raids on 10 shops on Thursday afternoon. Those arrested included nine men and two women.
3) The items seized included CD ROMs, music compact discs, video discs and game discs, police said.
4) Hong Kong is under pressure to crack down on piracy and smuggling, and has made several high-profile raids in recent weeks.
5) A month ago, police arrested 11 men from mainland China, and seized about 520,000 video compact discs on board a cargo ship off Hong Kong's coast.
6) Hong Kong also has increased penalties for selling pirated software, but cheap pirated goods still are readily available in the territory.
7) Earlier this week, U.S. Consul General Richard A. Boucher told a business group that Hong Kong had to do a better job protecting intellectual property in order to avoid jeopardizing its plans to become a center of technology.


China says legal VCD production now can meet demand
(APW_ENG_19980403.0112)
1) China has opened 88 legal video-disc factories with enough production capacity to meet demand and replace the black market in pirated video discs, an official newspaper reported Friday.
2) With a visit by President Bill Clinton scheduled for June, China is eager to show it is eliminating piracy of movies, music and computer software _ a major trade irritant that nearly provoked U.S. sanctions in 1996.
3) Legal Chinese factories now can produce 330 million VCDs annually, far above projected demand this year of 220 million discs, the Economic Daily reported.
4) More than 2.2 million pirated VCDs were seized by Chinese authorities in the first two months of this year, the newspaper said. It said 23 cases of VCD piracy involving at least 10,000 discs each were resolved last year.
5) China is continuing efforts to block smuggling of discs from an estimated 150 illicit VCD factories in Hong Kong and Macao, the newspaper said.


Police seize 100,000 pirated discs in Glodok, JAKARTA POST
(APW_ENG_19980423.1514)
1) xfdws POLICE-SEIZE-PIRATED sked
2) Emerging Markets Datafile
3) April 23, 1998
4) JAKARTA POST
5) INDONESIA
6) ENGLISH
7) Police seize 100,000 pirated discs in Glodok, JAKARTA POST
8) ASIA
9) WorldSources, Inc.
10) 201 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, S.E., 2nd Floor
11) WASHINGTON, D.C. 20003
12) Tel: 202-547-4512
13) Fax: 202-546-4194
14) COPYRIGHT 1998 BY WORLDSOURCES, INC., A JOINT VENTURE OF FDCH, INC. AND WORLD TIMES, INC. NO PORTION OF THE MATERIALS CONTAINED HEREIN MAY BE USED
15) IN ANY MEDIA WITHOUT ATTRIBUTION TO WORLDSOURCES, INC.
16) JAKARTA (JP): The police seized about 100,000 illegal video compact discs, laser discs, audio compact discs and digital video discs in a raid on a shopping plaza in the Glodok commercial district Tuesday.
17) The raid was conducted by the police economic detective division and officials from the Ministry of Information.
18) Col. S. Sidi of the national police information service said the merchandise would be valued at about Rp 300 million (US$37,500) if value-added tax was included.
19) Pirated video discs sell here for about Rp 15,000 each, compared to Rp 35,000 for an original.
20) The raid, which began at 4:30 p.m. and spanned three and a half hours, involved 14 police officers and eight officials from the Ministry of Information. They raided five shops.
21) Sidi would not disclose the names of two shops but said they were located on the first floor of Glodok Plaza in West Jakarta.
22) The other three shops, which he identified as Fantasy, SPDU and Sangaji, were located on the second and third floors.
23) He said the shop owners were not present when the officers arrived.
24) ``Currently, we're questioning about 12 of the shopkeepers. We will summon the owners of the shops soon for further investigation,'' he said.
25) Police have yet to determine if the suspects replicated the discs themselves. No duplicating machines were found in the shops, Sidi said.
26) The suspects may be charged under Article 44 of Law No. 12/1997 on intellectual property rights and Law No. 8/1992 on motion pictures, he said.
27) The 1997 law mandates a maximum penalty of seven years in jail and/or a Rp 100 million fine for those found guilty of counterfeiting a product.
28) It also carries a maximum of five years' imprisonment and/or Rp 50 million fine for selling pirated goods.
29) Among the discs confiscated were recent Hollywood releases such as Titanic, Tomorrow Never Dies, As Good As It Gets and Amistad.
30) Audio compact discs confiscated in the raid contained songs by foreign singers like Mariah Carey, Bon Jovi and Metallica, and local entertainers, such as Papa T. Bob and actors from the popular TV series Jin dan Jun.
31) The owners of the shops were also suspected of distributing a counterfeit version of Aqua's house music and techno album, Dr. Jones.
32) According to Dimas Wahab, the chairman of the Indonesian Recording Industry Association (ASIRI), 40 percent of all confiscated VCDs were pornographic movies.
33) Most were probably copied in foreign countries, he said.
34) He said those involved in the business of pirated goods raked in huge profits by selling them well below the standard market prices.
35) ``We can't sell the VCDs for less than Rp 30,000 because we have to cover numerous expenses, like production costs, artist royalties and the Rp 3,000 value-added tax for each copy,'' Dimas said. Copyright 1998 JAKARTA POST all rights reserved as distributed by WorldSources, Inc.


Boom times for cheating shopkeepers, HONGKONG STANDARD
(APW_ENG_19980429.0470)
1) xfdws BOOM-TIMES-FOR-CHEATING sked
2) Emerging Markets Datafile
3) April 29, 1998
4) HONGKONG STANDARD
5) HONG KONG
6) ENGLISH
7) Boom times for cheating shopkeepers, HONGKONG STANDARD
8) Cheung Chi-fai
9) ASIA
10) WorldSources, Inc.
11) 201 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, S.E., 2nd Floor
12) WASHINGTON, D.C. 20003
13) Tel: 202-547-4512
14) Fax: 202-546-4194
15) COPYRIGHT 1998 BY WORLDSOURCES, INC., A JOINT VENTURE OF FDCH, INC. AND WORLD TIMES, INC. NO PORTION OF THE MATERIALS CONTAINED HEREIN MAY BE USED
16) IN ANY MEDIA WITHOUT ATTRIBUTION TO WORLDSOURCES, INC.
17) BUSINESS is booming on a Mong Kok street where shops openly sell cheap pirated compact discs (CDs) and video compact discs (VCDs).
18) On Sai Yeung Choi Street, near the Mong Kok MTR station, six more shops specialising in the sale of genuine and pirated versions of music CDs and VCDs opened recently. All have taken advantage of the cheap short-term lease offered as the economic downturn hit the retail business.
19) An assistant at one of the retailers, who claimed the store was selling only genuine VCDs, said she was surprised by the ``openness'' of her new neighbours.
20) ``The situation is getting out of control . . . one more new retailer (selling pirated products) joins the business today,'' she said.
21) Having started the business two months ago, she said her shop was now facing competition from their neighbours who were selling VCDs at $100 for four.
22) Her shop offers three discs for $88.
23) Although the price difference was just a few dollars, she said her competitors could even offer VCDs that have not been released.
24) For instance, local film Anna Magdalena, featuring actor Aaron Kwok Fu-shing, is still being screened at local cinemas but is already available at the shops.
25) ``Some customers mixed us up with our neighbours and asked us why our price is higher. I think one can tell the difference of our products from others,'' she said.
26) A block away on Nelson Street, business is also brisk at the Mong Kok Computer Centre, where new pirated versions of computer software are put on sale regularly.
27) The price difference between pirated and original versions could be as high as 100 times.
28) Dozens of computer software, worth tens of thousands of dollars in genuine articles, are grouped in a single CD-ROM sold for $40 each.


Hong Kong to consider tougher anti-piracy laws Eds: UPDATES with other measures being considered in graf 4
(APW_ENG_19980501.0606)
1) The government is considering making it illegal to buy pirated compact discs as part of its war against copyright piracy, a senior government official said Friday.
2) Chau Tak-hay, Secretary for Trade and Industry, said copyright piracy damages Hong Kong's international reputation, and that bying pirated CDs ``was an immoral action.''
3) He said laws making the purchase of pirated products illegal had been successfuly introduced in France.
4) Other measures being considered include the consfiscation of the assets of those convicted of coypright piracy, and the closure of shops and factories that engaged in piracy so that they could not be sold or leased out for a period of time, he said.
5) However, Chau emphasized that he was not saying that such tough laws will be introduced in Hong Kong.
6) ``It is our duty to examine all possible measures,'' he said.
7) Hong Kong and other territories in the region are under pressure from the United States to do a better job of protecting intelletual property.
8) Chau said Hong Kong does not need foreign governments to tell it what to do to combat copyright piracy.
9) ``We do what we do in the interest of Hong Kong,'' he added.
10) Meanwhile, Customs officers said Friday they have seized more than 2 million pirated video compact discs and manufacturing equipment worth 116 million Hong Kong (U.S. dlrs 14.8 million).
11) A statement said 500,000 of the pirated discs were seized after they were loaded on board a boat from China on Thursday. It said the boat's 11 crew members were detained.
12) Customs officers seized another 1.7 million pirated discs in an enusing raid on a factory, it said.
13) On Sunday, officers of Hong Kong's anti-corruption agency seized 7 million pirated video CDS and production equipment worth 650 million Hong Kong dollars (U.S. dlrs 83 million) in the biggest such seizure in Hong Kong's history.
14) About 18 people were detained in that seizure, which followed raids on five factories bordering China. Among those arrested was a senior Customs officer, who allegedly took bribes from a counterfiet compact discs sydnicate.


Report: Police arrest six people for software piracy
(APW_ENG_19980510.0087)
1) Police have arrested six people and seized pirated video compact discs and music discs worth 650,000 ringgit (dlrs 171,000) in raids, a newspaper reported Sunday.
2) Since Friday the three raids, in residential areas and a shopping district of Kuala Lumpur, yielded 16,000 pirated discs, the New Sunday Times reported, quoting police.
3) Police also seized documents that gave details of how the suspected software pirates operated, the daily said. Police said the group had been operating for three years. The paper gave no details.
4) A survey of Southeast Asia's software industry released on Thursday said an estimated 84 percent of the software in the region was illegal.
5) The industry has pressured Asian governments to curb piracy, and many nations such as Malaysia have said they would make laws and enforcement stiffer.


Anti-piracy groups demand crackdown on illegal software
(APW_ENG_19980819.0236)
1) Entertainment industry executives accused the government of failing to enforce anti-piracy laws and demaded that it crackdown on rampant software piracy, a news report said.
2) ``We want the total commitment of the government in fighting piracy, especially during this economic slowdown,'' Francis Peter, director of Intellectual Property Protection was quoted as saying by Wednesday's Sun newspaper.
3) Peter estimated that annual sales of pirated video compact discs and music compact discs in Malaysia amounted to 300 million (dlrs 71.4 million), nearly half the amount taken in by legitimate copies.
4) He said the music and motion picture industries had lost about 100 million ringgit (dlrs 25 million) as a result of pirates, who sell their wares openly in marketplaces around the capital, Kuala Lumpur.
5) Earlier this week, several intellectual property protection groups urged the government to clamp down on manufacturers of illegal VCDs and CDs.
6) The Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry, however, said it did not have jurisdiction to seize machines used by makers of the pirated CDs, VCDs and CD-ROMs.
7) According to a recent survey of Southeast Asia's software industry, an estimated 84 percent of the software in the region was illegal.


Police seize dlrs 100,000 stock of pirated compact discs
(APW_ENG_19980826.0358)
1) Police in the Russian capital have arrested a suspected dealer of pirated compact discs and seized 50,000 copies of unlicensed music discs and software worth dlrs 100,000, officials said Wednesday.
2) A 23-year old Moscow resident, who was arrested on Tuesday, was accused of trading in pirated copies of Western music discs and computer software. The suspect's identity wasn't given.
3) Officials estimated that the suspected trader had inflicted damage worth dlrs 4 million to western producers of music discs and software, the Interfax news agency reported. No other details were immediately available.
4) An estimated 90 percent of all software in Russia is unlicensed and the government has been able to do little to combat the piracy despite recent efforts.
5) Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, who visited Russia last October, urged Russian authorities to crack down on the problem.
6) In December, the State Customs Committee announced it had seized more than 650,000 copies of pirated discs in 1997.


Customs chief says copyright piracy down but more visible
(APW_ENG_19990128.1293)
1) It's no secret that counterfeit copies of new Hollywood blockbusters are on sale for just 10 Hong Kong dollars (U.S. dlrs 1.28) all over town, but customs officials say perceptions of a worsening problem are ``an illusion.''
2) The unlicensed video CDs have merely become easier to spot around Hong Kong, after a crackdown on sales in shopping malls pushed illicit dealers onto street corners and into parking lots and construction sites, said Lawrence Li, commissioner of customs and excise.
3) The dealers ``are now more visible, giving the impression that availability of pirated discs is on the increase,'' Li told reporters Thursday. ``I can assure you that this is only an illusion. Copyright piracy has actually been reduced.''
4) Customs officials last year seized 40 million optical discs, including VCDs, music CDs and CD-ROMs, an increase of 770 percent from 1997, Li said.
5) Officials also closed down 68 illegal production lines, a 1,260 percent increase from a year ago, thanks to a new law requiring factories of optical discs to be licensed, he said.
6) Despite any successes of the crackdown, anybody seeking out fake VCDs doesn't have to look far. The price on the counterfeits is as little as one-tenth the cost of a legitimate video, or a sixth the cost of a movie ticket.
7) Hong Kong has come under international pressure, especially from U.S. officials and Japanese TV programmers, to do a better job of protecting intellectual property.


Hong Kong Seizes Pirated Video Discs
(APW_ENG_19990902.0130)
1) Customs officials seized (US) $6.2 million worth of pirated video compact discs along with production equipment in the largest haul ever in Hong Kong's campaign to eradicate copyright piracy, the government reported today. .
2) Officials seized 1.6 million pirated VCDs, a large quantity of equipment and one truck in separate raids Wednesday, a government statement said.
3) More than a hundred customs officers were mobilized in raids on the VCD factory and four warehouses in the suburban New Territories, the statement added.
4) Nine men -- aged between 23 and 53 -- were arrested, but no charges have been filed.
5) In the first seven months of this year, customs officials have seized 8.8 million pirated VCDs with a total value of $20 million, the statement said.
6) Despite frequent raids, Hong Kong remains a center for copyright pirating. Pirated CDs, video CDs and computer software are widely available at shopping arcades and street vendors at a fraction of the cost of a genuine copy -- sometimes even before the originals are released in Hong Kong.


Pirated porn discs seized in southern China; largest single
(APW_ENG_20020628.0031)
1) Authorities in southern China's Guangdong Province have seized 5.2 million pirated pornographic movie discs from two vessels, a customs official and the official news agency said Friday, identifying it as the biggest haul ever confiscated in a single outing.
2) A police launch was dispatched Monday night after a tip that two vessels loaded with pirated discs were unloading at a port in the city of Huizhou that night, said a customs official in Huizhou, who refused to give his name.
3) Police spotted one vessel at sea but found the smugglers had already fled, the official Xinhua News Agency said. Aboard, authorities found about 2.2 million pornographic discs in 2,200 boxes.
4) Another vessel, found at about the same time off the coast of Huizhou, was carrying over 3 million porn discs, Xinhua said.
5) It was unclear whether the movies were DVDs or cheaper, less-sophisticated VCDs, which are also very popular in the Chinese market. The official did not give details on what kind of sexually explicit material the discs contained.
6) Earlier this month, customs officers in Shantou, another city in Guangdong, seized more than 3 million pirated discs from a smuggling vessel.
7) China, newly admitted to the World Trade Organization, is in the midst of what it calls a nationwide battle against counterfeit and pirated products, and movies _ as intellectual property _ are a prime target. The government also takes a strict stance against any kind of pornography.
8) Regional authorities, especially in southern China, often hold public destructions of pirated discs, enlisting steam rollers and wood chippers to turn the movie and music discs into millions of plastic shards.


Report: Malaysian authorities seize more than 300,000 illegally copied video discs
(APW_ENG_20020813.0625)
1) Officials raided a hotel in Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown district and seized more than 300,000 illegally copied video discs, a news report said.
2) The haul, worth an estimated 1.5 million ringgit (dlrs 395,000), included Hollywood movies as well as Indian, Chinese and Malay films, the national news agency, Bernama, reported.
3) Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry Assistant Enforcement Chief Megat Zulkefli Megat Abdul Halim said the hotel was believed to be a storage and distribution point for vendors at Chinatown's street market.
4) Pirated music, movie and computer software discs are widely available in Malaysia and sell much more cheaply than the originals on sidewalk stalls and in some shopping malls.
5) The government has vowed to quash disc piracy, directing authorities to more strictly enforce copyright laws and asking legal production companies to use machines which mark CDs with code numbers.
6) But even frequent raids on stalls selling illegally copied discs have failed to curb the problem. Authorities said they will target and shut down suspected production centers.


Malaysian government implores public to shun pirated CDs
(APW_ENG_20020827.0173)
1) Persistent demand for illegally copied video and music discs was hampering the government's efforts to crack down on widespread piracy in Malaysia, a senior official said Tuesday.
2) Officials are stepping up measures to dispel the country's reputation as a hub for entertainment and computer software piracy in Southeast Asia, but factories without licenses continue to churn out products in response to buoyant demand.
3) ``No matter how harsh our penalties are, we will not succeed as long as our society does not realize the consequences of supporting pirated products,'' Arshad Hashim, secretary general of the Information Ministry, said in a speech to launch a new anti-piracy campaign.
4) The government was ``confident'' it would eventually gain the public's support to quash disc piracy, he said, but the sale of bootlegged discs was ``increasingly rampant at marketplaces and street corners,'' despite frequent raids on stalls selling such goods.
5) Enforcement officials have been told to enforce copyright laws more strictly and to instruct legal production companies to use machines marking CDs with code numbers.
6) Malaysian authorities say they made 10,000 raids in the first six months of 2002 and seized about 19 million ringgit (dlrs 5 million) worth of pirated discs but add that is a tiny fraction of CD's produced illegally.
7) On conviction, illegal CD distributors face up to three years in jail and a maximum fine of 10,000 ringgit (dlrs 2,362) per CD. The local music industry has repeatedly pushed for life imprisonment.
8) Rosmin Hashim, a representative of the Recording Industry Association of Malaysia, which comprises major record labels, said that music piracy was disillusioning talented new artists and triggering job layoffs throughout the industry. He did not provide any figures.
9) Pirated music, movie and computer software discs are generally popular because they sell much more cheaply than the originals _ original DVDs of new Hollywood movies can cost 130 ringgit (dlrs 34) each, while pirated versions sell for 10 ringgit (dlrs 2.60).


Malaysian authorities seize more than 300,000 pirated VCDs destined for foreign markets
(APW_ENG_20030812.0017)
1) Malaysian authorities seized more than 300,000 pirated video compact discs, crippling an operation that was selling the illegal recordings abroad, an official said Tuesday.
2) Officers from the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry seized the bootlegged copies worth about 1.6 million ringgit (US$400,000) on Monday during raids in northern Penang state, a ministry spokeswoman said on condition of anonymity.
3) Police arrested nine people who were allegedly part of a piracy ring. They will face fines of up to 10,000 ringgit (US$2,632) for each illegal copy, she said.
4) The piracy ring received orders through e-mails from clients in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Australia and Europe. The discs, which sold for between US$7 and US$18 each, were sent by courier to customers.
5) Officials also confiscated nine computers, a replicating machine and a scanner, the spokeswoman said.
6) Piracy of films and music is rampant throughout Asia, and after several failed attempts to stamp out the problem, the Malaysian government launched extensive raids in May.
7) Officials say some 3 million pirated video compact discs have been seized and copying plants closed. The crackdown appears to have been successful so far, with many of the once ubiquitous street stalls that peddle pirated recordings now shut.


Israeli forces bust copyright pirate operation in West Bank
(APW_ENG_20040101.0243)
1) A special police force on Thursday busted a counterfeit compact disc-copying operation in the West Bank that provided about 40 percent of the products for Israel's piracy market, authorities said.
2) Dozens of police and soldiers broke into the laboratory in the West Bank city of Ramallah under cover of darkness and arrested two workers, an Israeli Arab and a Palestinian, Israeli media reported. They found scanners and recording equipment, along with hundreds of thousands of music CDs and computer games, Channel 10 TV reported.
3) The police spokesman did not immediately return a phone call requesting comment.
4) The suspects charged store owners about US$1 for each CD, officials told the TV. Each disc cost them about a quarter of that to produce.
5) Stores operating openly near central bus stations in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv sell the pirate discs for about US$2.50.
6) ``This lab produced about 40 percent of the discs for the entire piracy market in Israel, between 60,000 and 100,000 discs a month,'' anti-counterfeit official Motti Amitai told Channel 10.
7) Despite the successful raid, police said the punishments given to copyright and trademark pirates are insufficient, ensuring that other criminals will quickly take the place of the operation that was shut down Thursday.
8) Israel TV showed video of the laboratory, with piles of pirated music discs as well as American movies and DVDs.
9) After creating the police task force under U.S. pressure, Israel was moved from the U.S. ``Priority Watch List'' to the ``Watch List'' in May. The U.S. embassy in Israel noted in a statement then that Israel has ``increased its budgetary, educational, police and judicial resources ... yielding concrete results.''
10) Israel had drawn fire for a poor record in combating illegal copying of copyrighted and trademarked items ranging from computer programs to cigarettes.
11) Intellectual property piracy and counterfeiting cost the U.S. motion picture, music and publishing industries billions of dollars in losses every year. In an effort to crack down on countries that don't stop piracy in their borders, the United States imposes economic penalties.
12) (lc/ml)


Malaysia backs off plan to curb video and music piracy
(APW_ENG_20040701.0135)
1) Malaysia has scrapped a plan to stamp out music and video piracy by slashing prices of CDs and VCDs, after distributors protested the move could bankrupt them.
2) Domestic Trade Minister Shafie Apdal said the government has ruled that music and video compact discs are "not essential items" that should be subjected to price controls, local media reported Thursday.
3) "We decided to leave it to market forces," Shafie said. "The ceiling price is difficult to implement, and it will not stop people from buying pirated CDs and VCDs."
4) In September, ministry officials ordered distributors to make disc prices more affordable for Malaysian consumers, many of whom favor counterfeit versions that are widely sold by illegal street traders for a fraction of the retail price of original discs.
5) But the move was postponed after companies appealed to the government, insisting that ceiling prices would not curtail film and music piracy, which is rampant throughout Asia.
6) Malaysia is known as a major production and distribution center for illegal discs. Authorities have repeatedly launched crackdowns to enforce copyright laws, seizing millions of illegally copied discs and closing street stalls that sell such items.
7) But pirated discs remain popular because they're much cheaper than originals. While original DVDs can cost 130 ringgit (US$34) each, pirated versions sell for 10 ringgit (US$2.60). However, the government price controls did not apply to DVDs, which are more expense, of better quality and generally targeted at the high-end market.
8) If convicted, illegal CD distributors face up to three years in prison and a maximum fine of 10,000 ringgit (US$2,362) per CD. Industry officials have pushed for life imprisonment.


Malaysian authorities arrest couple for selling fake DVDs on Internet
(APW_ENG_20040818.0067)
1) Malaysian authorities have arrested a student and his girlfriend for selling pirated DVDs of Hollywood blockbusters over the Internet, an official said Wednesday.
2) The suspects aged 19 and 20 were arrested as they packed 495 DVDs, including illegal copies of "I, Robot," "Catwoman," and "Spider-Man 2," for overseas shipment at an apartment in northern Penang state on Tuesday, said Fahmi Kassim, Penang's consumer affairs chief.
3) The students, who accepted orders from customers in the United States, Australia, Britain, Ireland and Greenland, had been bootlegging the DVDs for at least a month, Fahmi said.
4) They charged US$10-12 (euros 8-10) for each disc, he said, adding that the students were probably part of a larger team and that more arrests were expected.
5) He said the couple would be charged under copyright laws and, if convicted, they faced hefty fines and jail terms of up to five years.
6) Malaysia is known as a major production and distribution center for illegal discs. Authorities have repeatedly cracked down to enforce copyright laws, seizing millions of illegally copied discs and closing the street stalls that sell them.
7) But pirated discs remain popular because they are so cheap. While original DVDs can cost 130 ringgit (US$34; euros 27) each, the fakes sell for as little as 10 ringgit (US$2.60; euros 2.10).


Report: Malaysia to screen export consignments for pirates VCDs and DVDs
(APW_ENG_20050406.0068)
1) Malaysia will soon install X-ray machines at two key airports to try to prevent exports of pirated movies _ an illegal but thriving local industry, a news report said Wednesday.
2) The machines, each costing 7 million ringgit (US$1.84 million; euro1.44 million) will be installed at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and at the airport in northern Penang state by the end of next month, the New Straits Times reported.
3) Malaysia Airlines Cargo Sdn Bhd (MASkargo), a subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines System Bhd, has secured a contract with the Motion Picture Association to carry out checks on cargo for pirated video compact discs and digital versatile discs, Mohd Yunus Idris, general manager of MASkargo's cargo operations told the daily.
4) The Motion Picture Association represents and protects the global and domestic interests of the American film, home video and television industries.
5) "The main purpose of the machines is to detect explosives, firearms and contraband," the daily quoted Mohd Yunus as saying. "But we have agreed to work with MPA to detect shipments of pirated VCDs and DVDs."
6) Mohd Yunus was not immediately available for comment.
7) Malaysia is known as a major production and distribution center for illegal discs in the region, despite extensive government crackdowns. Bootleg movies are sold openly in malls and by street vendors for as little as 10 ringgit (US$2.6; euro2.0) each.
8) Malaysia is one of the 36 countries on a U.S. watch list of serious copyright violators.


Report: Malaysia says it no longer exports pirated videos to Europe's black market
(APW_ENG_20050921.0100)
1) Malaysia claims that a crackdown on bootleggers and tighter checks at airports have virtually wiped out smuggling of pirated video discs to Europe, a news report said Wednesday.
2) Enforcement officers who returned from a fact finding mission in Europe did not detect any more Malaysian made pirated DVDs and VCDs, Consumer Affairs Minister Shafie Apdal was quoted as saying by the Star newspaper.
3) "This shows that our measures have been quite successful," the daily quoted Shafie as saying.
4) Shafie or officials in his ministry were not immediately available for comment.
5) The Star quoted him as saying that a crackdown on syndicates producing bootleg videos in Malaysia, stricter checks on courier parcels and installing X-ray machines at airports in recent months have paid off in controlling the smuggling.
6) Malaysian authorities have previously admitted that hundreds of thousands of cheap pirated videos of mostly Hollywood blockbusters were being smuggled out of the country into Britain and other markets in Europe as well as the United States.
7) Shafie acknowledged that the sale of pirated video discs was still prevalent in Malaysia and more efforts were needed to stamp out the problem. Bootleg movies are sold openly in malls and by street vendors for as little as 10 ringgit (US$2.6; euro2) each.
8) Malaysia is one of the 36 countries on a U.S. watch list of serious copyright violators.


Report: Nearly half of pirated discs seized in Malaysia this year meant for export
(APW_ENG_20060419.0271)
1) Malaysian authorities said Wednesday they have seized 1.5 million pirated DVDs and compact discs worth 51.3 million ringgit (US$14 million; euro11 million) in raids so far this year, nearly half of them bound for other nations.
2) Some 712,304 DVDs and CDs _ mainly newly released movies and video games _ were seized from international airports in Kuala Lumpur, the southern state of Johor, and Sarawak and Sabah states on Borneo Island, the official Bernama news agency reported.
3) The discs were to be exported as far as countries in South America and Africa, Bernama said.
4) Malaysia is one of 36 countries on a U.S. watch list of serious copyright violators, and the U.S.-based industry group, Business Software Alliance, estimates that most of the software used in Malaysia is illegal.
5) Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs ministry's officers carried out 6,341 raids in the first quarter of this year, Bernama said, citing the ministry's enforcement division Deputy Director Iskandar Halim Sulaiman.
6) Iskandar said the latest attempt to smuggle illegally copied discs out of the Kuala Lumpur airport was foiled Tuesday night when police intercepted seven boxes containing around 8,000 discs labeled as computer parts destined for Johannesburg, South Africa.
7) "What's more shocking is the fact that the DVDs were movies that have just been released to the cinemas," Bernama quoted Iskandar as saying.
8) The movie titles were not immediately known.
9) The discs were estimated to be worth about 80,000 ringgit (US$22,000; euro18,000). He said the discs were being analyzed to determine their origin but the senders were not traceable from the address on the boxes.
10) Two previous raids at the same airport prevented attempts to export 7,000 movie discs to Cambodia and 36,000 video game discs to Montevideo, Uruguay.
11) Officials conducted 38,069 raids last year, seizing 4.8 million pirated discs worth 100.4 million ringgit (US$27.4 million; euro22.4 million) and seizing nine disc copying machines. In comparison, 18 machines worth 43.5 million ringgit (US$12 million; euro9.8 million) have been taken in until April this year.
12) Malaysian officials say they are attempting to curb the distribution of pirated discs, which cost about 10 ringgit (US$2.70, euro2.20) at outlets in Malaysia's largest city, Kuala Lumpur.


Malaysia reassures U.S. on commitment to intellectual property rights
(APW_ENG_20060420.0256)
1) Malaysia pledged tougher steps Thursday to wipe out pirated computer software and entertainment discs as part of efforts to strike a free trade accord with the United States.
2) Domestic Trade Minister Shafie Apdal said Malaysia will create a special court next year to handle piracy prosecutions, train hundreds of new officers to enforce intellectual property laws and sign several international treaties on copyright protection cooperation.
3) "Let no one misunderstand: The Malaysian government is serious about combatting piracy and counterfeiting," Shafie said at a meeting of American and Malaysian government officials with private industry representatives to discuss anti-piracy measures.
4) Malaysian authorities recorded 1,175 piracy offenses in 2005, Shafie said, noting that nearly half of those cases have been taken to court while the rest remained under investigation. Malaysian laws provide for prison sentences and fines for copyright infringements.
5) Copyright protection has been a key U.S. demand in its free trade talks with many nations.
6) The United States and Malaysia recently agreed to launch negotiations for a free trade agreement and conclude them by the end of 2006 before the deal is sent to Congress for approval in July 2007.
7) Malaysia is one of 36 countries on a U.S. watch list of serious copyright violators.
8) According to industry statistics, 61 percent of all computer software used in businesses in Malaysia was illegal during 2004, the latest year for which figures are available.
9) Pirated video and music discs are also rampant, despite government raids that led to the seizure of 4.8 million bootlegged discs from factories and sales outlets last year.
10) U.S. Ambassador Christopher LaFleur said intellectual property rights would be a "big component" of the FTA talks, but he voiced optimism about settling any sticking points.
11) "Neither of us would have entered into these discussions if we didn't have some confidence that we could achieve our objectives," LaFleur told reporters.
12) Malaysian trade officials have also said they expect no major roadblocks to the FTA. Malaysia is the United States' 10th largest trading partner with US$44 billion (euro36.9 billion) in two-way trade.


Report: Malaysian arrested after attempting to sell bootlegged DVDs to trade minister
(APW_ENG_20060508.0086)
1) A Malaysian street vendor was arrested after he tried to sell pirated DVDs of Hollywood blockbusters to a government minister, a newspaper reported Monday.
2) The unidentified man failed to recognize Domestic Trade Minister Shafie Apdal who was having a drink in Kuala Lumpur's plush suburb of Bangsar last week, and approached him with a wide range of the latest movie titles, the New Straits Times said.
3) Shafie did not reveal his identity to the vendor, but he summoned enforcement officers to secretly trail the man and raid his operation, the ministry's assistant director of enforcement, Abdul Madi Wahab, was quoted as saying by the Times.
4) Officials eventually detained the man in a nearby shop and seized some 7,000 illegal copies of new releases like "Ice Age 2" and "Mission: Impossible III" stashed in his car, Abdul Madi said.
5) The man "said that he did not recognise Shafie and that he had approached him like he did any other customer," Madi added.
6) Abdul Madi and other ministry officials were not immediately available for comment Monday.
7) It was not clear from the report what penalties the suspect faces.
8) Many sellers of pirated movie and music discs in Malaysia go from table to table at restaurants and other food outlets, offering cheap DVDs for around 10 ringgit (US$2.70; euro2.20) each .
9) Malaysia is one of 36 countries on a U.S. watch list of serious copyright violators, and music and movie industry officials have expressed concern over the prevalence of piracy here.
10) Authorities say they have confiscated 1.5 million pirated movie and music discs and video games worth 51.3 million ringgit (US$14 million; euro11 million) so far in 2006. More than 400,000 of those were seized at airports and bound for foreign markets.


Second Malaysian mall sued for pirate disc sales: report
(APW_ENG_20060530.0068)
1) Malaysian record industry authorities have slapped lawsuits on the owners and a tenant of a shopping mall in the southern state of Johor for the sale of pirated music and movie discs on the premises, a newspaper reported Tuesday.
2) The Recording Industry Association of Malaysia is suing the owners of the BCB Plaza for unspecified damages, the association's chief executive, Tan Ngiap Foo, was quoted as saying in the New Straits Times.
3) The association has also applied for a court order to close Orchid Video, the outlet peddling the illegally copied CDs and DVDs, the newspaper said.
4) Tan could not be immediately reached for comment Tuesday.
5) BCB Plaza is the second mall to come under the spotlight in this latest Malaysian crackdown on pirated discs; last month the Recording Industry Association of Malaysia launched legal action against a mall operator in the eastern state of Pahang for leasing space to vendors of pirated goods.
6) The association said it had written to about 200 other landlords telling them to evict illegal vendors.
7) The government has said it is drafting laws to make it illegal for landlords to rent premises to known vendors of pirated goods.
8) Malaysian officials conducted 38,069 raids last year, seizing 4.8 million pirated discs worth 100.4 million ringgit and seizing nine disc copying machines. Up to April this year, they had seized 18 machines worth 43.5 million ringgit.
9) Officials say they are attempting to curb the distribution of illegally copied discs, which are sold openly at outlets across Malaysia and usually cost about 10 ringgit (US$2.70; euro2.20).


Malaysian authorities use dogs to track illegal optical disc exports
(APW_ENG_20070313.0396)
1) Lucky and Flo, Malaysia's latest weapons in tackling rampant music and movie piracy, started work at the country's biggest international airport on Tuesday, sniffing out shipments for fake optical discs.
2) The two black Labradors are on loan for a month from the U.S.-based watchdog, the Motion Picture Association of America.
3) It is the first time dogs have been used by authorities anywhere around the world to detect contraband discs, MPAA's regional director, Mike Ellis, said.
4) It took around nine months and US$17,000 (euro12,922) to train the dogs to detect polycarbonates, chemicals used in the disc manufacturing process, he added.
5) "It was 2 1/2 years ago, it was at a senior-level meeting in (Los Angeles), we were talking about the problems of finding it (pirated movies) and someone said 'why not dogs?'" Ellis told reporters at the main air cargo complex of the Kuala Lumpur international airport in Sepang.
6) The MPAA, whose members include top Hollywood studios Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox and Universal, says it lost US$1.2 billion (euro910,000) to Asia-Pacific movie pirates in 2006.
7) "Like their fellow canine counterparts trained to sniff drugs and narcotics, these two Labradors have been trained to detect optical discs," Malaysia's Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Shafie Apdal said. "These animals are here for the very serious purpose of adding to our arsenal."
8) Although the dogs cannot tell the difference between real and pirated discs, they can detect if DVDs are hidden among shipments signed off as a consignment of something else.
9) On Tuesday, the dogs found discs hidden among more than 50 boxes scattered around the cargo complex, eventually uncovering a pirated box set of the long-running TV sitcom "Friends," among others, in less than 10 minutes.
10) After Lucky and Flo's stint, Malaysia will evaluate whether to employ its own dogs. Shafie said the demonstration showed the dogs were cost-effective and were faster at detecting the contraband than enforcement officers.
11) The Southeast Asian nation is among the world's top illegal movie producers and exporters, Washington and the MPAA have said. Malaysia is also one of 36 countries on a U.S. watch list of serious copyright violators.
12) China remains at the top of the MPAA's movie piracy list, Ellis said.
13) "China has the highest piracy rate, the biggest market, a lack of legitimate product in the market ... Our market access is also restricted," Ellis. His member studios are only allowed to screen 20 movies in the mainland every year.
14) Malaysia's status as a top pirate nation was a "wake-up call," Shafie said.
15) Shafie said it was "steadfast and firm" in its effort to wipe out piracy. Around five million discs were seized in over 2,000 raids last year, Shafie said, while 780 people were arrested. He did not say how many have been charged.
16) "The number of pirated products originating from Malaysia seized in other countries declined significantly in 2005, and again in 2006," Shafie said, without elaborating.
17) Movies exported from Malaysia have surfaced as far away as South Africa and Kenya.


China tightens anti-piracy enforcement after foreign complaints
(APW_ENG_20070406.0428)
1) China has extended criminal penalties for music and movie piracy to people caught with smaller amounts of DVDs or CDs, a state news agency said Friday, after foreign complaints that enforcement was too lenient.
2) The decision by the Supreme People's Court comes amid pressure by foreign governments and the film and music industries to stamp out China's rampant product piracy industry.
3) The court, in an order Thursday, cut in half the number of counterfeit DVDs, CDs or other audiovisual products that trigger criminal penalties of up to three years in prison, the Xinhua News Agency said. It said the court also raised fines for smaller offenders.
4) Anyone caught with 500 pirated discs will face criminal prosecution instead of fines, down from the previous 1,000 discs, Xinhua said. It said the number of discs that triggers more severe penalties of up to seven years in prison was cut in half to 2,500.
5) "The latest judicial change seems to be aimed at addressing overseas complaints that the country is too lenient" with pirates, Xinhua said. It said the new standards were "a stern warning" and said the number of cases is expected to rise.
6) China is regarded as one of the world's leading sources of illegally copied movies, music, designer clothing and other products.
7) The supreme court also told lower courts to start accepting piracy cases filed by companies and individuals in addition to those brought by prosecutors, Xinhua said.
8) Fines for piracy were raised to up to 15 times a pirate's illegal gains, up from double their revenues, the report said. It gave no monetary figures for how much the new fines might be.
9) Industry groups and foreign governments have been pressing Beijing to lower the threshold for criminal prosecution, saying letting small traders get away with paying fines fails to discourage piracy.
10) The director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Jon Dudas, visited Beijing last month and said he pressed Chinese officials to lower the threshold for prosecution.
11) The government is in the midst of an anti-piracy crackdown that is to last through May, Xinhua said. It quoted a notice sent to police forces as saying "the fight against piracy was still very arduous, and should be a priority."
12) This week, the government said police in the southern city of Guangzhou carried out China's biggest seizure of pirated DVDs and CDs to date, seizing 1.8 million discs on March 17.
13) Police arrested 13 people and seized 30 machines used to produce discs, the government said. Industry officials say the seizure of such production lines is critical.


Dogs force Malaysia ' s movie pirates to turn to porn to bolster battered sales, officials say
(APW_ENG_20070416.0348)
1) Malaysia's movie bootleggers are selling more pornography to offset financial losses following a government crackdown using two Labradors that have found huge stashes of pirated DVDs, officials said Monday.
2) Pornographic discs, including some featuring underaged girls, comprised nearly a quarter of some 180,000 illegal DVDs found in raids over the past four days in southern Johor state, said Fahmi Kassim, chief enforcement officer at Johor's domestic trade ministry.
3) "The pirates make more money selling pornographic discs," Fahmi told The Associated Press.
4) A pirated DVD sells for about 10 ringgit (US$2.80; euro2.00), but pornographic movies -- which are not all pirated -- can fetch at least 3 ringgit (US$0.85; euro0.60) more, Fahmi said.
5) The crackdowns in Johor included one in a shopping mall Friday with the help of sniffer dogs Lucky and Flo, owned by the Motion Picture Association of America, which has called them the first canines trained to detect optical discs.
6) The pornographic discs found in Johor -- which attracts many pirated DVD buyers from neighboring Singapore -- mostly originated in the United States and Europe, but some included Chinese and other Asian-looking actresses, Fahmi said.
7) Pirated DVD sellers in Malaysia have long included pornographic discs in their wares, but industry officials voiced concerns that recent raids have shown a rising presence of smut.
8) "What is disturbing is this growing proof that the piracy syndicates are working with the pornographic industry, especially when the seized items now include child pornography," said Neil Gane, senior operations executive of the MPAA.
9) Lucky and Flo, on loan to the Southeast Asian country since March 13, have so far helped authorities find 1.3 million pirated DVDs -- often hidden in locked rooms and secret compartments -- in stores and office buildings in three Malaysian states.
10) Their success has led officials to consider setting up a local canine unit to strengthen anti-piracy efforts. Lucky and Flo were visiting the Philippines to temporarily assist anti-piracy operations starting Monday, but Malaysian and MPAA officials have said the dogs will be based in Malaysia for the next two to three months.
11) "Certainly the help of the dogs has made our jobs easier and quicker," Fahmi said.
12) Malaysia is among the world's main producers and exporters of pirated discs, the U.S. government and the MPAA have said. According to the Malaysian government, 5 million discs were seized in more than 2,000 raids nationwide last year, and 780 people were arrested.