Govt destroys 19,000 pirated VCDs

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