Police seize 12,000 copied video cassettes<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): City Police have confiscated 12,788 video
\ncassettes in a one-day raid on the city's seven biggest outlets.<\/p>\n
\"The National Police chief has ordered us to clean up the
\ncity from pornographic and pirated video cassettes. We are trying
\nto improve the image of our country's position against copyright
\nviolations before the APEC ( Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation)
\nforum begins next month,\" head of the Economic Crimes of the City
\nPolice Crime Investigation Directorate, Lt. Col. Aryanto Sutadi,
\nsaid here yesterday.<\/p>\n
The raid, however, did not target other pirated brand named
\nwristwatches, jeans, handbags and shoes. Such goods are easily
\nfound in many exclusive and non-exclusive shopping centers in the
\ncity yet no stern measures have been taken by the authorities
\nthus far.<\/p>\n
\"The raid on such items is normally carried out after a formal
\ncomplaint is filed, claiming a certain loss due to the sales and
\ndistribution of the imitations,\" Aryanto said.<\/p>\n
During Thursday's raid, involving 40 city detectives, on
\nthree separate locations in the downtown Glodok area in West
\nJakarta, seven owners from the biggest video rental outlets were
\ndetained.<\/p>\n
The suspects were identified as Wawa, A Thiong, Ki Hong,
\nFrans, Christian, A Kim and Kian.<\/p>\n
\"All of them claimed, however, that they had no idea as to the
\nwhereabouts of their suppliers,\" Aryanto said.<\/p>\n
The suspects admitted that they purchased the video cassettes
\nfrom several different unidentified salesmen.<\/p>\n
Profits<\/p>\n
Based on preliminary questioning, police discovered that the
\nowners bought the illegal video cassettes (Beta and VHS type) at
\nprices between Rp 4,500 and Rp 7,000 (US$2.05 and $3.20) per
\ncassette and later sold them for an additional Rp 1,000 and Rp
\n2,000 each.<\/p>\n
The raid was carried out at outlets in the Glodok Building,
\nHarco and Jembatan Metro shopping centers.<\/p>\n
At each of the seven outlets, police seized at least 1,500
\ncopies.<\/p>\n
\"But none of them were porn video cassettes,\" said Maj. Jimmy
\nSinaga, head of the Product and Trade of the Economic Crimes.<\/p>\n
According to Jimmy, who led the raid, the owners had run their
\nillegal businesses for the past three years.<\/p>\n
The APEC forum is scheduled to be held next month in nearby
\nBogor but most of the delegates will stay at hotels in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
According to Aryadi, similar crackdowns on unlicensed copies
\nof video cassettes will be carried out on other locations within
\nthe next few days.<\/p>\n
\"We have already ordered all precinct heads to execute the
\nraid as soon as possible,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He reiterated that the operation would not include pirated
\nbrandname goods.<\/p>\n
As of today, a wide number of products using Guy Laroche,
\nLouis Vuitton, Adidas and Pierre Cardin, can be seen in many
\nstores in the city.<\/p>\n
The fake products, sold at prices far below the original, are
\nbelieved to have been pirated by local and foreign companies.<\/p>\n
In July, Societe Guy Laroche won a court battle after filing
\ntwo lawsuits against an Indonesian businesswoman who had been
\nselling her products using the same name and logo. (bsr)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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