Copyright no issue in Glodok

Copyright no issue in Glodok

Sally Piri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

"Looking for new releases, sir?" is a common question in the
heart of the capital's pirated disc market, Glodok, West Jakarta.

It is posed to anyone keen enough to squeeze their way through
the narrow space between kiosks, among a sea of thousands of
pirated discs displayed on wooden tables.

With the approach of a prospective buyer, vendors call out
titles -- comedies, dramas, even cartoons.

And, if an opportunity presents itself, the vendor might
whisper: "Mau BF Indonesia?" (Are you interested in local porn?).

In spite of the prevailing intellectual property laws, pirated
discs are openly sold across the city.

Several laws, including Law No. 8/1992 on film copyright and
Law No. 19/2002 on intellectual property rights, as well as the
Criminal Code carry penalties of up to three years' imprisonment
for the vendors of pirated materials.

To check out the booming trade for yourself, take the busway
to Glodok and cross over Jl. Hayam Wuruk to the market. On the
first floor you, will come across rows of stalls selling pirated
CDs, VCDs and DVDs.

"These are very new," said Saiful (not his real name) as he
pointed to pirated DVDs of movies that had not even hit local
cinemas, Mr & Mrs Smith and theMerchant of Venice.

"They are Rp 10,000 (US$1.2) apiece," he said. Compact discs
are available for much less at Rp 3,000 apiece.

Another spot where pirated discs are available is on the third
floor of Glodok market, Bloc H.

Here, vendors are better equipped. They have televisions and
DVD players so customers can check a disc's quality.

Here the raw materials in piracy are also available, blank
discs.

DVDs of new films are offered for Rp 5,000 apiece and blank
discs for Rp 2,000.

Prices are very low compared to those of original DVDs, which
range between Rp 45,000 and Rp 200,000.

As vendors set their prices at about the same level, they may
specialize in a genre as a way to stand out.

Some vendors sell films from just one country, or target film
buffs with an array of arthouse movies and rare titles.

However, starting up a business in Glodok is not easy and at
least Rp 5 million in initial capital is needed for the purchase
of hundreds of new discs.

That amount does not include rent for the space.

A female vendor said that to start up a medium-sized stall
that stocked thousands of discs would cost around Rp 20 million,
excluding monthly rent of Rp 2.1 million.

And disclosing the risky nature of the business, she said she
also had to pay racketeers Rp 10,000 a day.

"They say the money goes to the police," she said.
The vendor said that competition was getting tougher, prompting
her to branch out, distributing pirated materials, including porn
movies to places outside Jakarta.

With such a proliferation of pirated materials at extremely
low prices, Glodok indeed is a haven for entertainment-thirsty
Jakartans.

For Bonny (not his real name), Glodok has become a regular
shopping destination.

When asked why, the young man sheepishly admitted, "I don't
really care about the quality, I just want to know what happens
in the movies."

He visits Glodok at least once a month and spends up to Rp
60,000, bringing home about 25 DVDs.

"My favorite spot is the one close to the police station," he
said.