Turn in a pirate, get a reward.......................................
scmp.com
TuesdayÿÿDecember 16ÿÿ1997
Rewards raise stakes in disk piracy struggle
HELEN JOHNSTONE
A reward of $100,000 could be yours if you know anyone making counterfeit CD-ROMs, VCDs, DVDs or laser discs - and are willing to tell the Government about it.
A $1.2 million fund has been set up by organisations representing the film, music and software industries to provide rewards of between $5,000 and $100,000. Rewards will follow a scale related to the size of the illegal operations uncovered.
"We are determined to get the message across that piracy will not be tolerated in Hong Kong," Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department assistant commissioner Vincent Poon said.
"It not only harms the rightful copyright owners, it also damages Hong Kong's international reputation and credibility."
Previously, much of the action against piracy has focused on retail outlets and arcades selling large numbers of pirated CD products.
The Business Software Alliance (BSA) also has targeted businesses using illegal software by offering rewards for tips.
The initiative targets factories and warehouses involved in the unauthorised production of pirated CDs, VCDs, DVDs, laser discs and CD-ROMs in the SAR.
"This scheme is designed to enable us to get to the root of the problem by targeting production lines and distribution centres," Mr Poon said.
Funds have been provided by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, the Motion Picture Association, the Motion Picture Industry Association, the BSA, the Software Publishers' Association and Nintendo.
Over the past year, the level of illicit production in Hong Kong is thought to have worsened.
Estimates suggest that the number of plants has grown from about 10 to more than 100, giving the SAR a production capacity of several million disks a year. A significant proportion are pirated disks, many of which sold in the mainland.
The Customs and Excise Department said it had stepped up activities this year and seizures have increased dramatically. In 1996, the department seized a total of 1.07 million CD products.
By October of this year, the figure already had reached 3.3 million and 1,341 people had been arrested.
By offering the rewards, the Customs and Excise Department hopes to stop piracy at the source by reducing the production of pirated goods.
This April's reward scheme by the BSA had been successful, said vice-president Tom Robertson, with four rewards of $15,000 paid out.
However, Hamed El-Abd, president and executive director of replication equipment distributor WKK Distribution, said the approach would not reduce piracy.
"Most of the [illegal production] would be driven deeper down, or out of Hong Kong," he said.
The rise in piracy in Hong Kong is thought to be a result of a crackdown on the mainland. More than 40 production plants were closed last year for copyright violations. |
