DVD and software piracy cases fall sharply in Hong Kong

Apr 26, 2011, 3:41 GMT

Hong Kong - Hong Kong, once known as a global center for pirated DVDs and software, has seen piracy cases plunge dramatically amid a crackdown on offenders, a news report said Tuesday.

The number of hawkers caught selling pirated discs fell from 854 with 189,734 discs seized in 2009 to 242 hawkers and 69,591 discs seized in 2010, the South China Morning Post reported.

Over the same period, the number of copyright piracy cases brought to court in the city of 7 million fell from 6,372 cases in 2009 involving 2 million discs to 610 cases involving 890,000 discs.

DVD and software piracy was rampant in Hong Kong a decade ago but a customs task force set up to tackle it in 1999 has virtually eliminated the presence of shops selling pirated discs.

Hawkers selling pirated discs used to be prosecuted under copyright laws with a maximum penalty of six months in jail, the Post reported.

Now they are prosecuted under anti-triad gang laws, as gangs run most piracy operations, raising the potential penalty for hawking pirate discs to up to two years in jail.

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