MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION – INTERNATIONAL

Asia-Pacific
Anti-Piracy Update
Issue 01 - 2007
ASIA
Operation trident
kicks off
Asia-wide MPA piracy crackdown targets transnational movie piracy
Operation Trident targeted movie pirates who
ship pirated DVDs and VCDs to customers
around the world, as well as the retailers and
production facilities that supply domestic
markets around the region. The crackdown
aimed to reduce export piracy, and protect
sales of cinema tickets and legitimate home
video products such as DVDs and VCDs
by reducing the availability of illegally pirated
movies during the important year-end
holiday season, when many new movies
are released.
Photo: General Administration of Press and Publication
On November 29, the MPA announced
Operation Trident, an aggressive anti-piracy
enforcement operation that ran through
January 31, 2007 in 13 countries and
territories across the Asia-Pacific region. Over
the past two years, four MPA semi-annual
anti-piracy sweeps have collectively resulted
in more than 2,500 arrests and more than 23
million pirated optical discs seized.
Operation Trident covered Australia, China,
Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan,
Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines,
Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.
Beijing Optical Disc Destruction Campaign
Photo: General Administration of Press and Publication
IN THIS ISSUE
Chinese authorities in Zhejiang Province destroy millions of pirated optical discs.
Asia-Pacific – Operation Trident begins
Hong Kong – Sniffing out piracy
Australia – Internet pirate jailed
Australia – Copyright law amendment
Taiwan – Arrests made in ezPeer raids
Malaysia – Printing factory raided
Malaysia – Penang websites closed
Thailand – Pirate smugglers nabbed
Thailand – Major cable channels raided
Hong Kong – World’s first BT sentencing
Thailand – Pirates get violent
Philippines – MPA award to Manzano
New Zealand – Banding against piracy
India – Delhi Police grab burners
China – Courts rule against pirates
Japan – Glickman calls for law update
Asia-Pacific – Anti-piracy operations
Japan – Winny developer guilty
Taiwan – 266 burners seized
Asia-Pacific – Optical disc pricing
Indonesia – Jakarta mall raids continue
China – Anti-piracy MoU signed
Singapore – 435,000 VCDs destroyed
Japan – New anti-piracy trailer
Thailand – 30 burners seized
1
2
2
3
3
3
4
4
5
5
5
6
6
6
7
7
8-9
10
10
11
11
11
12
12
12
Asia-Pacific Anti-Piracy Update
Letting slip the dogs
Hong kong of the anti-piracy war
Motion Picture Association investigators determined to sniff out dvd piracy
On October 14, MPA employees Lucky and Flo demonstrated
recently developed anti-piracy investigation techniques to Customs
officials from around the region at the Hong Kong Customs & Excise
Department’s Training School in Tai Lam Chung, Hong Kong.
discs. However, because legitimate shipments of optical discs are
generally registered on shipping manifests, the dogs will be valuable
in locating discs being shipped in unlikely or unregistered containers,
which may contain pirated CDs or DVDs.
Black Labrador retrievers Lucky and Flo are the world’s first dogs
trained to find optical discs in packages and containers that are used
by pirate syndicates for smuggling stolen movies, music and software
around the world.
Lucky and Flo have also demonstrated their DVD-sniffing skills for law
enforcement officials in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and Dubai.
In 2004, the MPA undertook a feasibility study to determine whether
dogs could be trained to detect polycarbonate and other chemicals
used in optical discs. A trainer in Northern Ireland known for training
dogs to locate and identify bombs trained Lucky and Flo to find
optical discs in large and small packages and containers.
After eight months of training, Lucky and Flo undertook their first
major live test, working with H.M. Revenue and Customs and FedEx
at Stansted Airport in the United Kingdom. They were immediately
successful in identifying packages containing DVDs and detecting
even the smallest amount of product in very large containers.
The Stansted Airport test was the first time dogs had been used
anywhere in the world to search for counterfeit DVDs and proved that
they could work in a busy airport Customs environment.
Lucky and Flo are able to detect but unable to distinguish between
CDs and DVDs, burned and replicated discs, or legitimate and pirate
Lucky and Flo with fellow anti-piracy “watchdogs”, Hong Kong Youth Ambassadors.
PIRATE VIDEO STORE OWNER
AUSTRALIA GETS ONE YEAR IN JAIL
Sydney man also sold hard-core pornography
On November 16, the Sutherland Local Court in New South Wales
sentenced Vito Raimondi to one year’s imprisonment for illegally
copying and distributing pirated copies of movies. Raimondi, a video
store owner from Beverly Hills in Sydney, was charged with copyright
offences on October 26, 2005 following a raid on his store during
which police discovered eight DVD-R burners, three computers,
two scanners and more than 1,000 pirated DVDs, including discs
containing hard-core pornography. Video store owner Vito Raimondi caught in the act.
The raid followed a three-month investigation by New South Wales
Police and the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft
(AFACT), which represents the Motion Picture Association (MPA) in
Australia. The sentencing was the second jail term awarded in New
South Wales for copyright offenses in 2006. On June 30, Thi Tho Le,
a 53-year-old woman from Hinchinbrook, was sentenced by Liverpool
local court to eleven one-year jail terms to be served concurrently.
JANUARY 2007
PARLIAMENT PASSES
AUSTRALIA NEW COPYRIGHT LAWS
Police gain wider enforcement powers
In October, following an extensive campaign including three separate
public reviews, the Australian Government introduced new copyright
laws that included:
• new proceeds of crime provisions to enable police to seize illegal
proceeds of copyright crimes;
• “on the spot” fines of A$1,350 (US$1,050) with immediate forfeiture
of illegal goods and devices;
• revised presumptions making it easier for copyright owners to
prove ownership in court;
• increased court powers to award larger damages in Internet piracy
cases; and
• new criminal offences for circumvention of technological protection
measures (TPMs) and subscription television piracy.
For consumers, it is now legal for people to record TV or radio programs
and play them on devices at another time in or outside the home. It
is not legal to keep a library of these recordings or [except in narrowly
defined exceptions] to circumvent TPMs to make recordings. It is
now legal to format-shift music, newspapers, videotapes and books
provided you own the legitimate copy and do not circumvent TPMs
to do so. It is not legal to format shift other audio-visual material,
although this will be reviewed by no later than March 2008.
The new laws, which came into effect on January 1, 2007, introduce
major reforms that with the support of law enforcement agencies
will provide a platform for more effective copyright law enforcement.
The Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT), which
represents the MPA in Australia, continues to press the government
for a commitment to specific law enforcement resourcing for
copyright crimes.
Servers seized in Taiwan
taiwan
Internet service ezPeer shut down following
police anti-piracy raid
On November 15, officers from Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation
Bureau (CIB), with support from the Foundation for the Protection
of Film and Video Works (FVWP), representing the MPA, raided four
premises, including an Internet service provider (ISP), linked to the
ezPeer and www.heymovie.com websites. The residences of seven
individual users suspected of downloading pirate movies via the
websites were also raided.
As a result of the raids, four servers that were believed to be facilitating
the illegal distribution of pirated moves by the websites were seized
from an ISP connected with ezPeer. The site administrator of www.
heymovie.com was arrested on suspicion of facilitating the illegal
distribution of pirated movies and one individual user was also
arrested on suspicion of unauthorized uploading and reproduction
of pirated movies.
The raids followed extensive investigations into the activities of
ezPeer and www.heymovie.com. As a result of the investigations
it became clear that ezPeer was providing its users with links to
www.heymovie.com, from which they could access pirated movies.
Investigations by the CIB confirmed the links between ezPeer and
www.heymovie.com, revealing that the site administrator of www.
heymovie.com is an ezPeer employee.
As a result of the raids and the seizures of the servers, both the
ezPeer and www.heymovie.com websites were shut down.
CLANDESTINE PRINTING FACTORY LINKED
malaysia TO WELL-KNOWN PIRATE SYNDICATE
Printing factory raid reveals sophistication of movie piracy operations
On October 2, Malaysian Ministry of Domestic Trade & Consumer
Affairs (MDTCA) officers, accompanied by MPA representatives,
raided a clandestine printing factory in Sepang, Selangor, arresting
three men and seizing three printing machines, 40 silk screens, 208
printing plates and 102,000 blank DVD-Rs and CD-Rs.
Although the seized discs were blank, they had been pre-printed with
the artwork of numerous movie and pornographic titles, and were
shrink-wrapped and apparently ready for delivery. Documentation
seized suggested that the factory was linked to a known piracy
syndicate and that the printed discs had been pre-ordered,
presumably by burner lab operations.
Offset printing machine that was used to print artwork on blank DVD-Rs
Asia-Pacific Anti-Piracy Update
WEBSITES SHUT DOWN THAT HAD
malaysia SOLD PIRATED DVDS GLOBALLY
International MPA investigation led to MDTCA raids on four websites
On October 12, following a two-week surveillance operation, officers
from Malaysia’s Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs
(MDTCA), accompanied by MPA representatives, raided two premises
in Penang linked to four pirate websites, arresting three suspects.
The websites had been under investigation for weeks by MPA Internet
specialists in Kuala Lumpur, Los Angeles and Sydney, and the raids
turned up evidence suggesting that the operators had raked in tens
of thousands of dollars a month shipping pirated optical discs to
customers in the United States, South Africa, Canada, the United
Kingdom and Australia. Pirate discs sold on Malaysian web sites
typically go for between US$5-9 per disc, with TV series box sets
sold for between US$30–40.
Malaysia’s law enforcement agencies have stepped up efforts
to interdict outbound parcels containing pirated optical discs,
seizing 6,259 parcels containing 25,036 pirated DVDs from October
to December, and the MPA is working closely with the country’s law
enforcement agencies to identify and shut down pirate websites
hosted in the country. Over the past eight months, 22 websites selling pirated discs globally
have been raided and shut down in Kuala Lumpur, Johor Baru and
Penang, with the owners prosecuted. At one of the raided premises,
more than 274,000 pirate discs were seized. Another website was
offering more than 5,500 TV and movie titles, equivalent to the
number of titles available in the largest retail outlet in Kuala Lumpur.
MDTCA Director General of Enforcement Mohd. Roslan bin Mahayudin, at left,
inspecting seized parcels containing pirated DVDs sold via Internet.
PIRATE SMUGGLERS
Thailand NABBED AT BORDER
30,000 pirated DVDs had come from Malaysia
In the early hours of November 5, officers from the Central Investigation
Bureau (CIB) of the Royal Thai Police, acting on a tip, intercepted a
truck in the southern province of Petchaburi, arresting two men and
seizing around 30,000 pirate discs, approximately one-third of which
were infringing MPA member company titles. Police charged the men
with copyright offenses and with smuggling. It is believed that the
discs had been smuggled into Thailand from Malaysia.
JANUARY 2007
BANGKOK POLICE RAID
Thailand THREE MAJOR CABLE CHANNELS
Three pirate cable broadcasters raided and shut down
On October 31, police officers from Bangkok’s Bangsue, Yannawa
and Samray Districts, accompanied by MPA representatives, raided
three major cable channels suspected of illegally broadcasting MPA
member company movies in metropolitan Bangkok.
The 30-strong police task force arrested one man, seized
broadcasting equipment and shut down unauthorized channels
belonging to Thai Soon Cable TV, Golden Channel Cable TV, and
Sunshine Entertainment Cable TV. The arrested suspect was
charged with unauthorized broadcasting of copyrightable content,
and further arrests are anticipated.
A recent study by the Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association
of Asia (CASBAA) and Standard Chartered Bank estimated the
cost of pay-TV piracy in the Asia-Pacific region at US$1.13 billion
this year, with 5.2 million viewers connected illegally. Both numbers
represented significant increases over 2005. Pay-TV piracy will cost
content owners and legitimate broadcasters in Thailand an estimated
US$160 million this year.
CONVICTION UPHELD
Hong kong IN BITTORRENT APPEAL
Movie pirate heads to jail in world’s first BitTorrent prosecution
On December 12, the Hong Kong Court of Appeal upheld the
ruling of a lower court that 38-year-old Chan Nai-ming was guilty
of violating Hong Kong’s Copyright Ordinance for distributing illegal
copies of three MPA member company titles without authorization
via a peer-to peer (P2P) network forum.
Following three weeks of intensive investigation, on January 12, 2005,
the Intellectual Property Investigations Bureau (IPIB) of the Hong
Kong Customs and Excise Department arrested Chan, launching
Hong Kong’s first prosecution for copyright violations involving the
illegal distribution of motion pictures through the Internet.
Photo: South China Morning Post
Chan, who had been out on bail during his appeal, was remanded to
custody and began serving the three-month jail sentence mandated
by the Tuen Mun Magistrates’ Court on November 7, 2005. The case
was the world’s first in which criminal charges were filed against a
user of BitTorrent (BT) technology.
Chan Nai-Ming’s guilty verdict was upheld
ANTI-PIRACY ENFORCERS
Thailand FACE VIOLENCE IN BANGKOK
102 arrested in saturation raiding of piracy “black spots”
The MPA’s Retail Enforcement Unit (REU), an initiative jointly funded
by the MPA and its Thailand licensees that was launched on
November 8 and comprises four teams of Royal Thai Police and
MPA investigators, has already made a major impact on pirate
syndicates in Bangkok. Through the end of the year, the REU had
filed 332 cases, resulting in 102 arrests and the seizure of 411,692
pirated discs – many of which contained eight separate movies –
infringing MPA member company titles, 30 DVD-R burners, 15,000
blank DVD-Rs and 95,500 artwork sleeves.
Saturation raiding of key locations has resulted in the syndicates
not only changing their sales tactics, but also resorting to violence
in frustration at lost business. REU staff have been intimidated
and physically assaulted, with police officers having had to draw
their firearms on a number of occasions. The MPA is meeting with
other industry stakeholders to encourage their participation in the
enforcement initiative, in the hope that more complaints will be filed
and more pirated product seized.
Asia-Pacific Anti-Piracy Update
EDU MANZANO NAMED TOP
Phillipines ASIA-PACIFIC COPYRIGHT ENFORCER
Optical Media Board chief adds MPA award to pair of Best Actor wins
Philippines Optical Media Board Chairman Eduardo Manzano was
named the Motion Picture Association’s top “Asia-Pacific Copyright
Enforcer” in the inaugural presentation of the award at the CineAsia
film industry trade show in Beijing on December 7.
Presenting the award to Manzano, Mike Ellis, Senior Vice President
and Regional Director, Asia-Pacific for the MPA said, “One of the MPA’s
closest allies in the fight against copyright theft is Edu Manzano. His
hard work has resulted in the seizure of millions of pirated optical
discs and the substantial raising of the awareness of intellectual
property rights issues in the Philippines.”
the manufacture, mastering and replication of optical media in the
Philippines. Although he is one of the country’s most recognizable
film stars, who has appeared in 125 movies and is a two-time winner
of the country’s Best Actor award, he has been responsible for vast
improvements in both the scale and scope of anti-piracy enforcement
activity in the Philippines, where organized crime links to piracy are
well-documented and raids often uncover arms and illegal drugs.
Accepting the award, Manzano said, “We have a long way to go
before we can say we’ve got the piracy problem under control in the
Philippines, but we are fighting the good fight. What we need to do
is work together, industry and government, to punish the bad guys
for their crimes, and to help the good guys – our customers – to
understand that paying for entertainment is worthwhile.
“This award is a wonderful acknowledgment not of my own efforts to
bring piracy under control in the Philippines, but of the tremendous
efforts of the OMB’s investigators and administrators, who work –
often at great personal risk – to protect copyright, to protect ideas,
and to protect the economy and future of the Philippines.”
Manzano assumed the leadership of the OMB in 2004 at the request
of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and is charged with regulating
WHERE’S GARY’S DUVET?
New zealand SINGING AGAINST PIRACY
Edu Manzano (r) receives Asia-Pacific “ACE” award from MPA Regional Director
Mike Ellis.
india
DELHI POLICE SEIZE
18 DVD BURNERS
Mpa-backed band pumps out anti-piracy message
More than 1,700 pirated DVDs seized
“Where’s Gary’s Duvet?” is not a question on the lips of most movie
pirates in New Zealand, but it is the MPA’s hope that the phrase –
actually the name of a ska band – will quickly become well-known to
young people throughout the country. The MPA has signed “Where’s
Gary’s Duvet?” to a sponsorship deal that will see the eight-man
band professionally record its anti-piracy song “Pirates”, and play
the song at gigs throughout the country all year long.
On December 12, acting on information developed by MPA
investigators, officers from the IPR division of the Delhi Police
arrested one man, Nasem Ahmed, and seized 18 DVD burners,
more than 1,700 pirated films in DVD and DVD-R formats, and more
than 3,300 inlay cards.
“Where’s Gary’s Duvet?” dressed the part for a Christmas gig last December
Police charged Ahmed with illegally infringing the copyrights of
the latest Hollywood and Indian films in DVD and DVD-R formats,
and with making false statements to the police. The accused was
remanded to judicial custody.
JANUARY 2007
CHINESE COURTS MAKE PIRATES PAY AS MPA
WINS SUITS AGAINST WEBSITE, RETAILERS
CHINA
MPA wins civil suits against Sohu.com affiliate, Beijing and Shanghai pirate outlets
On December 27, a Beijing court ruled that Beijing Sohu Internet
Information Service Co. Ltd. (Sohu), a affiliate of NASDAQ-listed
Sohu.com, which operates some of China’s most popular web
portals, was guilty of copyright infringement when it posted digital
files of MPA member company motion pictures on the Sohu.com
<www.sohu.com> website for downloading without the consent
of the copyright owners. The court ordered the defendants pay
damages and costs of RMB1,085,000 (US$138,850) and to publish
an acknowledgement of its infringements as well as a pledge to
refrain from future infringements.
The successful litigation, coordinated by the MPA, was filed in August
2006 following the MPA’s discovery in 2004 of several of its member
companies’ titles among more than 100 titles offered by Sohu under
a monthly subscription arrangement. Sohu.com is one of the three
largest websites in China, with approximately 100 million registered
users. The plaintiffs’ complaint asserted that Sohu’s unauthorized
distribution of their titles was done for commercial purposes and
without the plaintiffs’ permission, resulting in significant economic
harm and detriment. Five of the ten movies named in the lawsuit had
never been exhibited theatrically in China.
On December 18, a Beijing court ruled that the Yu Hao Qing DVD
retail outlet, located in Beijing’s central business district, and its
parent company, Bejing Century Hai Hong Trading Co. Ltd., were
guilty of copyright infringement for selling pirated versions of Motion
Picture Association (MPA) member company movies. Judge Song
Guang of the Beijing 2nd Intermediate People’s Court ordered the
defendants to desist from illegal sales of pirated movies and pay the
plaintiffs damages and costs of RMB164,000 (US$20,964).
On December 22, a Shanghai court ruled that the Shanghai Di Kai AV
Products Company DVD retail outlet, located in Shanghai’s central
business district, was guilty of copyright infringement for selling
pirated versions of MPA member company movies. The Shanghai
2nd Intermediate People’s Court ordered the defendant to desist
from illegal sales of pirated movies and pay the plaintiffs damages
and costs of RMB177,752 (US$22,746). The Court also ordered the
defendant to pay a fine of RMB50,000 (US$6,398), noting that the
defendant had repeatedly flouted China’s copyright law.
The MPA has concluded more than 15 civil actions in China, all of
which have been all settled or judged in favor of the MPA member
company plaintiffs. There are more than 35 other cases pending.
DAN GLICKMAN URGES ENACTMENT
OF ANTI-CAMCORDING LAW
Japan
MPAA chief notes that piracy cost Japanese film industry $742 million in 2005
On October 26, MPA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dan
Glickman used a keynote speech at the Tokyo International Film
Festival to remind industry representatives of the importance of
delivering value for the moviegoing public, and to urge the speedy
implementation of anti-piracy legislation in Japan.
“The numbers everywhere show that people still love going to the
movies,” said Glickman. “They love Hollywood films, and they also
love homegrown stories, from local producers and directors, starring
local actors and actresses. But our numbers could and should be
better. The question we must answer is what are we going to do to
make sure our customers are getting a valuable experience and that
they appreciate the value of the experience?”
are of Japanese films, Glickman said that in January the MPA – in
partnership with the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan,
the Japan Association of Theater Owners, the Foreign Film ImporterDistributors Association of Japan, and the Japan Video Software
Association – submitted to Japanese government a statement
supporting the enactment of anti-camcording legislation.
Glickman went on to say, “MPA research shows that piracy cost the
film industry in Japan 15 percent of potential revenue in 2005 – an
estimated $742 million. Of those losses, $178 million is estimated
to have been the result of Internet piracy. The economic and social
impact of IP theft is enormous and will have even greater long-term
implications if not brought under control.”
He reported that recent estimates of peer-to-peer (P2P) software
usage in Japan show that more than 1.2 million people are active
P2P file sharers, and that more than three million people have used
P2P software at some point in the past.
Noting that camcorded copies comprise around 90% of early release
pirate discs, and that the majority of illegal camcordings in Japan
MPA Chairman and CEO Dan Glickman with Japanese director Yoji Yamada, whose
film “Bushi no Ichibun” (“Love and Honor”) premiered at the Tokyo International
Film Festival.
Asia-Pacific Anti-Piracy Update
anti-piracy operations Across asia-pacific
Publication
inistration of Press and
Photo: General Adm
Police and law makers have been busy intercepting pirated DVDs and equipment
throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
China:
Taiwan: Burners
seized du
ring 2006 were
52 million pirate
capable of ma
king m
d discs.
troy millions of
Zhejiang Province des
hinese authorities in
C
cs.
pirated optical dis
China:
China:
Philippin
es: Seized
dis
cs in Ma
nila’s noto
rious Qu
iapo
district.
An MPA-p
roduced an
timovies in
a Guangzh piracy trail
ou cyberc
afe.
rcafe offering
angzhou cybe
Servers in a Gu nings.
ree
pirate movie sc
Malaysia: DVD replication machine seized in Kuala Lumpur
JANUARY 2007
ctory
pirate fa
al from
v
o
m
re
r
ready fo
achines
ation m
lic
p
re
ed
sia: Seiz
Malay
more than
ms during
China: Suspect arrested by Hong Kong Custo
Operation Trident
ler screens
before pira
ted
.
ted discs at the
India: Destruction of pira
School, New Delhi
Modern
Thailand: P oli
ce raids shut
down three pir
ate
cable broadcas
ters in Bangko
k.
factory raid.
Asia-Pacific Anti-Piracy Update
KYOTO COURT CONVICTS DEVELOPER
Japan
OF WINNY P2P SYSTEM
Former Tokyo University researcher fined 1.5 million yen for abetting copyright infringement
Isamu Kaneko, the developer of the “Winny” peer-to-peer (P2P) file
sharing system popular in Japan, was found guilty of aiding and
abetting the infringement of Japan’s Copyright Law by the Kyoto
District Court on December 13. The conviction was Japan’s first
of a developer of file-sharing software used in the infringement
of copyright, and Kaneko, formerly an assistant researcher at the
prestigious Tokyo University, was fined 1.5 million yen (US$12,832).
The “Winny” P2P file-swapping system came to prominence in Japan
on November 27, 2003 when police raided the home of Kaneko,
known to “Winny” users as “Mr 47”, and shut down his Internet
home page. On the same day, in separate raids, police arrested two
men for illegally distributing the Universal Studios film “A Beautiful
Mind” and for illegally distributing game software via “Winny”.
Both “Winny” users pleaded guilty and were each sentenced to one
year in prison, suspended for three years. The prosecutions were
Japan’s first for copyright violations involving the illegal distribution of
motion pictures and gaming software via the Internet.
On May 10, 2004, police arrested Kaneko, charging him with aiding
and abetting the infringement of Japan’s Copyright Law.
MPA REWARD SCHEME TIPS
NET 266 BURNERS IN 10 DAYS
taiwan
More than 1,500 optical disc burners seized by police in 2006
On November 20, acting on a tip to the MPA, a team of officers from Taiwan’s
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Police, with support from the Foundation for the
Protection of Film and Video Works (FVWP), which represents the MPA in Taiwan,
raided a pirate optical disc burning lab in Taichung, arresting three people and
seizing 98 optical disc burners.
The 76 CD-R burners and 22 DVD-R burners seized at the lab, believed to have
been distributing pirated discs throughout Taiwan, were capable of producing
5,472,000 CD-Rs and 475,200 DVD-Rs in one year, generating potential revenue
of US$6,106,346.
Nine days later, again acting on a tip to the MPA, officers from the IPR Police, with
FVWP support, raided a pirate optical disc burning lab in Taichung, arresting four
people and seizing 168 optical disc burners.
The 117 CD-R burners and 51 DVD-R burners seized at the lab, believed to have
been a source of pirated discs distributed throughout Taiwan, were capable of
producing 8,424,000 pirated CD-Rs and 1,101,600 pirated DVD-Rs in one year,
generating potential revenue of US$10,948,898.
In 2006, police in Taiwan seized more than 1,500 CD-R and DVD-R burners, with
a total annual production capacity of more than 52 million pirate discs generating
potential revenue of over US$70 million.
The tips that led to the raids resulted from the MPA’s DVD-R/CD-R Reward Scheme,
which encourages the public to support law enforcement efforts in raiding pirate
optical disc factory operations and provides significant cash rewards for people who
provide information that leads to a successful raid on pirate production facilities.
Burners seized during 2006 were capable of making more than
52 million pirated discs.
10
JANUARY 2007
ASIA
COMPARATIVE ECONOMICS
Genuine vs. pirate optical discs (vs. a Starbucks cappuccino and a Big Mac Meal)
Genuine
(USD)
Pirate
(USD)
Genuine
(USD)
Pirate
(USD)
Large
Cappuccino
Starbucks
(USD)
Format N/A
Format N/A
15.44
5.48
3.57
8.13
4.66
1.1
0.6
1.2-4.23
0.7-1.25
3.33
3.85-6.41
2.37
1.00-8.30
1.83
2.44-20.50
1.83-3.21
4.10
7.05
2.86
6.7-7.8
0.44-1.12
13.4-14.5
1.12-2.8
N/A in India
0.44-15.69
1.45
1.65-5.40
0.38
7.61-15.33
0.66
1.32-1.65
2.20-6.61
1.83
Japan
Format N/A
N/A
4.17-33.17
8.33
3.25
15.00
4.67
Korea
3.23
N/A
8.6-23.66
2.69-5.38
4.62
7.53
4.73
2.82-7.04
1.41
5.61-47.86
2.25
3.41
2.82
2.35
N/A
7.00
16.05-24.31
8.00
3.72
6.38
4.42
Philippines
1.54-5.65
0.72
6.15-18.37
1.23
2.25
2.87
2.36
Singapore
6.19-12.45
1.88-4.69
6.19-28.08
5.00-8.13
3.72
4.07-5.94
3.69
Taiwan
2.41-7.62
N/A
5.34-21.28
3.05
3.20
7.62
2.29
Thailand
0.83-5.83
0.55-1.38
5.56-22.22
2.22-4.16
3.33
3.33
2.75
Country
Australia
VCDs
China
Hong Kong
India
Indonesia
Malaysia
New Zealand
DVDs
Theater
Ticket Price
(USD)
Big Mac Meal
(USD)
As at January 1, 2007
JAKARTA RAIDS NET
indonesia 89,000 PIRATED DISCS
Copyright protection
memorandum signed
CHINA
Police maintain pressure on pirate DVD retailers
MPA signs anti-piracy memorandum with
National Copyright Administration of China
During November, following extensive investigations and liaison
by the MPA, officers from the Krimsus Division of Kapolda Jakarta
conducted enforcement actions against retail outlets in high-end
malls and against street vendors that continue to sell pirated DVDs
in and around Jakarta. By the end of the month, 89,000 pirated
discs had been seized and 27 suspects had been detained and
were being investigated. One raid on pirate movie rental shops
specializing in Japanese titles netted three arrests, plus the seizure
of three burner towers and 40,000 pirated discs, including 6,500
MPA member company titles.
During the crackdown, police again targeted the notorious Ratu
Plaza mall, where a small number of remaining DVD retail stalls had
been operating only at night to avoid raids. In response, Krimsus
officers began night patrols.
On December 15, the MPA, Business Software Alliance (BSA),
Association of American Publishers (AAP) and The Publishers
Association (TPA) of the United Kingdom signed a Memorandum with
the National Copyright Administration of China (NCAC) to protect
movies, television programs, software and literary works from piracy
via the Internet in China.
Pirated versions of movies, software applications and literary works
are widely available in China via DVD and VCD, and are increasingly
being offered for download via the Internet. Under the terms of the
Memorandum, the copyright industry associations will provide the
NCAC with information about products that have been released
legitimately for download via the Internet so that copyright enforcement
authorities can readily distinguish between legal and pirated online
content. When a criminal copyright infringement offence has been
committed, the NCAC will refer the case to the relevant judicial
authority for prosecution.
11
Asia-Pacific Anti-Piracy Update
SINGAPORE 435,000 pirated VCDs destroyed
Destruction follows guilty pleas in Singapore’s largest VCD seizure
On October 3, following the admission by a Singaporean optical disc manufacturer that it had illegally
abetted copyright infringing activity, Singapore Police destroyed 435,000 pirated VCDs seized during a
raid on a warehouse last year.
On September 30, 2005, a raid on a warehouse in Kaki Bukit resulted in Singapore’s largest ever seizure
of pirated VCDs, and the arrest of two Singaporean men, Tan Suah Soon, 48, and Ho Sun Fatt, 38, for
copyright infringement. The discs had been dubbed into French and were intended for export to Africa.
During the course of the investigation a Singapore-based optical disc factory, Trendisc Technology Pte
Ltd, was implicated as the manufacturer of the infringing discs.
On March 14, 2006, a Singapore district court sentenced Tan and Ho to 33 and 24 months in prison,
respectively and they began serving their sentences on March 28, 2006. Following its guilty plea on September
20, Trendisc Technology Pte. Ltd. was fined S$54,000 (USD$34,000).
435,000 discs were destroyed.
MPA JAPAN FILM BOARD
PRODUCES NEW
ANTI-PIRACY TRAILER
Japan
BURNER LAB SUPPLYING
Thailand THAI PROVINCES RAIDED
New trailer includes anti-camcording message
30 burners seized from Bangkok residence
The MPA Japan Film Board, seeking to refresh the message delivered
by the successful “Black Tears” anti-piracy trailer it released last year, in
November completed a new anti-piracy trailer that features illustrations
by Keiko Sootome, whose work is extremely popular among young
people. The 25-second-long trailer simply presents three messages:
“Prohibit illegal camcording”, “Deter downloading of illegal movie files
via the Internet”, and “Stop the
purchase and sale of pirated
DVDs”. The inclusion of an
anti-camcording message in
the trailer directly supports
the MPA’s efforts to lobby the
Japanese government to enact
anti-camcording
legislation.
The MPA Japan Film Board will
consider even more frequent
Keiko Sootome’s illustrations
are popular among young people
production of anti-piracy trailers.
On November 23, acting on information generated during a previous
enforcement action, officers from the Royal Thai Police (Economic
and Technological Crime Suppression Division) assisted by MPA
representatives, raided a residential unit in central Bangkok, arresting
one woman and seizing 30 DVD-R burners, 8,000 pirate movie DVDRs, 75,000 artwork covers and 15,000 blank DVD-Rs.
The majority of the DVD-Rs were infringing MPA member company
titles. The seized burners are estimated to have been capable of
producing nearly 3.2 million pirated optical discs in one year, yielding
revenues of US$7 million. Many of the discs seized were already
boxed and ready for shipment to Chon Buri province in eastern
Thailand, and Nakorrn Sithamraj in southern Thailand.
MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL
Asia / Pacific Regional Office
No. 1 Magazine Road
#04-07 Central Mall
Singapore 059567
12
World-Wide Headquarters
15503 Ventura Blvd.
Encino, CA 91436
United States of America