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Clifford Lo

Couple arrested on suspicion of selling discs over the internet

Customs officers have arrested a couple on suspicion of selling pirated western movies to customers around the world over the internet.

The couple reportedly sold pirated DVD copies of films through the eBay internet auction site, mailing them to overseas buyers using Hong Kong Post's Speedpost service, according to Jimmy Tam Yat-keung, head of customs' anti-internet piracy team.

Customs officers posing as buyers placed two orders for movies on the eBay website to learn the registered name of the seller and their Hong Kong address.

They made the arrests on Monday.

Customs launched the investigation after the Hong Kong Motion Picture Association lodged a complaint about a month ago concerning a local syndicate sending pirated discs to overseas clients by mail.

The investigation revealed that the syndicate sold pirated copies in gift packs - fancy boxes containing complete sets of movie series such as Rocky, The Godfather, James Bond, Die Hard and other western titles.

Their clients were in the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom.

'The suspects refused to take local orders or accept payment by money order or cash, in an attempt to avoid arrest,' Mr Tam said.

The pirated Rocky gift pack was initially priced at US$24 on the site, but the Customs officers bid the price up to US$41 before buying it. Pirate copies of the gift box can be bought on the mainland for less than HK$100.

The couple allegedly maintained their own website listing more than 40 titles of western movies for sale. The site did not say whether the discs were genuine or pirated, but officers believed bidders probably knew they were pirated.

The head of Customs' Copyright Investigation Division, Wong Shek, said: 'It is a very high-profit business. We believe they could make at least $100,000 a month by selling the pirated copies. Our investigation showed the syndicate has been in operation for about a year.'

On Monday, officers arrested the 35-year-old woman in a post office at Lai Chi Kok when she reportedly tried to mail more than 80 sets of pirated DVD films. Her husband, 41, was arrested in Chai Wan that afternoon.

In a follow-up raid, officers seized 5,000 pirated copies worth  $160,000, packaging equipment and three computers from the couple's flat in Lai Chi Kok.

The two suspects are on $10,000 bail each, pending further investigation.



Pirate DVD mailing scam uncovered