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Vivienne Chow

TVB is to launch its first legal action against mainland websites for unauthorised streaming of television shows.
Karen Wan, from TVB's legal department, said the station planned at least two cases in the next six months against mainland websites engaged in unauthorised online streaming of its television content, and would spend 30 to 40 per cent more this year on copyright infringement lawsuits on the mainland.
'Copyright infringement is getting a lot more serious with websites such as Tudou and Youku, so we have to do something,' Ms Wan said.
TVB says it has found content, including some of its latest drama series and non-drama titles, available free  on mainland websites.
Ms Wan said TVB had taken legal action on the mainland in the past and managed to receive compensation from some websites.
'We focused on cases against [the unauthorised] downloading [of TVB media content], as the law is clearly defined,'  she said.
Eddy Wong, marketing manager of TVBI's  video-licensing division, said the legitimate online media market was so big, growth in the business of online content sales had been doubling every year since 2005, generating eight-digit revenue.
But he added: 'There have been at least 300 sites that provide free [illegal] streaming services [on the mainland]. People do not download any more because it can take a night to download one episode of a TV series. But with streaming, you can watch a show any time you want.'
ATV said it had been working closely with websites such as Yahoo and YouTube to prevent online piracy of its programmes.
'We haven't received any reports on any [unauthorised streaming of our programmes], but China is so large. There is no way for us to keep checking the situation on the mainland,' a spokesman said.
TV industry insiders say that although the Hong Kong government has been tackling  online piracy - and an amendment to the copyright ordinance targeting the source of online streaming is on the way - the new law will have limited impact because  most of the streaming websites are hosted on the mainland.
The Commerce and Economic Development Bureau said laws targeting the unauthorised source of the copyrighted media content being distributed covered only Hong Kong cases.
If a Hong Kong company wished to file a case outside Hong Kong, it had to follow the jurisdiction of the area where the case was being filed, the bureau said.



TVB to fight mainland streaming