Govt destroys 19,000 pirated VCDs

JAKARTA: The Directorate General of Intellectual and Property Rights (HAKI) destroyed on Monday 19,000 pirated VCDs, CDs and DVDs at its office on Jl. Daan Mogot, Tangerang in Banten as part of the implementation of the new law on intellectual property rights.

The HAKI director general, Abdul Bari Azed, said that the pirated goods had been confiscated during raids in Menteng DVD in Central Jakarta and Ratu Plaza and ITC Fatmawati, both in South Jakarta.

Bari said that there were currently 50 factories with 200 machines illegally producing four million copies of pirate VCDs, CDs and DVDs per day within Indonesia.

He said pirated VCDs, CDs and DVDs of films and music alone caused US$250 million in state losses per year.

"We will continue the raids and target businessmen who posses advanced technology in producing pirated VCDs, CDs and DVDs since President Megawati Soekarnoputri has given 1,000 percent support to us," he said.

Meanwhile HAKI director Emawati Junus said she had sent warning letters to shopping malls and plazas in Tangerang and Bogor asking them not to sell illegal VCDs, CDs and DVDs. -- JP