`Vendors are simply trying to make a living'

Copyright violation has become widespread here among people of all walks of life, including the well-educated and wealthy. This explains why the illegal VCD business is thriving. Last week's eviction of street vendors in Glodok, West Java, which is notorious for its pirated VCDs, was simply a waste of time and energy as the vendors returned to their old spots. The Jakarta Post talked to some educated people about their views on the issue.

Oppy, 28, works for a private company in South Jakarta. She lives in Cakung, East Jakarta, with her family:

I cannot deny that I like buying illegal VCDs. I'm not a brand-oriented buyer. In this case, the most important thing is that I can have the movies or music I like.

I've found that the picture quality is not too bad and is sometimes even better, compared with the originals.

I don't know whether or not my reasons are acceptable. I prefer spending my money at street vendors rather than the well- off shop owners who sell original VCDs. I feel as if I'm helping them to support their families when I buy the VCDs.

That's why at some time each month I spend part of my leisure time in Glodok looking for illegal VCDs. Who will care about those low-income people? I think buying illegal VCDs from street vendors is one way of preventing them from drifting into joblessness or crime.

On the other hand, I'm aware that I'm wrong in buying illegal VCDs. It means that I'm making videopiracy acceptable in society. Well, maybe someday, when the economic situation has improved, it may be possible to eradicate videopiracy, but I'm not sure about that.

Novianto, 26, is a consultant to a multinational company in Kuningan, South Jakarta. He lives in Palmerah, West Jakarta:

I grew accustomed to piracy when I was a university student. I used to be a computer hacker. Well, as a student I could not afford the original text books, so I bought photocopied ones.

Frankly, I'm devoted to instant-access culture with its low prices, piracy included.

I like pirated VCDs as they are of better quality, particularly if recorded from DVDs, and I can watch movies that are not yet available as originals.

So, I prefer to go to the Harco Shopping Center in Glodok to buy pirated VCDs. They are far cheaper and there is a wide selection. I buy originals only when they contain my favorite movies or music.

I think it's normal (that many people buy pirated VCDs) as the authorities do not seriously make efforts to enforce the law on property rights to combat piracy. Worse still, public awareness is still very low.

I guess it's better to crack down on the producers rather than the vendors. The latter are only selling the merchandise to make a living. Even though they run illegal businesses, it's not their fault. It's the producers who should be blamed in the first place. Unfortunately, the producers are backed by certain officials.

Brigitta, 30, works for a media company in Central Jakarta. She lives in Mampang, South Jakarta:

I went to Glodok with friends to buy blue movies. But then I found my VCD player was damaged due to the poor quality of the disks. Worse, the pictures were not good as they were recorded on substandard disks.

I don't like pirated VCDs for practical reasons. I don't want my electronic equipment to be damaged by illegal copies. The equipment is prone to malfunction.

Therefore, I prefer to buy original VCDs as they are safer and are of better quality. What's more, now I earn enough to buy them. I like the originals, even though they are more expensive.

I'm upset to see that our society prefers instant access, including VCDs, by buying pirated ones. But who's to blame?

I guess poor law enforcement and a lack of public awareness about property rights have contributed much to the recent situation.

Indriasari, 30, works for a private company in Tebet, South Jakarta. She lives at Taman Alfa, West Jakarta, with her husband and only son:

Basically I don't like pirated VCDs, even though I'm not totally against piracy. I mean, I sometimes buy pirated cartoon VCDs for my kid, such as Tom and Jerry.

If I have enough money to afford originals, I buy them. But in many cases I prefer to rent original VCDs from a VCD rental shop that provides originals.

On the other hand, I can understand street vendors selling illegal VCDs in Glodok. They are not completely wrong as they are simply earning a living by selling the disks. Most blameworthy are the producers who have pirated them from the originals.

It would be better to deal firmly with whoever is backing them, and also the producers themselves.

-- Leo Wahyudi S