Eight persons arrested and charged with Copyright offences
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Hong Kong, 28 May 2018 – As part of Operation Trojan Horse, Hong Kong Customs recently undertook a series of raids against four retail outlets in Sham Shui Po and Wan Chai. Over a two-day period (25-26 May 2018), Hong Kong Customs raided retail outlets and arrested four (4) shop owners and four (4) salespersons found to be selling pre-loaded TV boxes (also known as Illicit Streaming Devices – “ISDs”) which provide access to pirated movies and TV shows. The arrested persons were all charged with copyright offences. Over 350 ISDs were seized, including brands such as the Ubox, EVPad, BossTV, and Magic Box.
During a press conference today to announce the enforcement action, a Hong Kong Customs spokesperson said “Hong Kong Customs will continue to strengthen its searches at ISD shop hotspots, cracking down on those who sell devices that allow for the stealing of Pay TV channels. Whether the rights-holders are based locally or internationally, both are protected under the Copyright Ordinance. Customs wants to remind salespersons that selling circumvention devices, or providing circumvention services that allow users to watch Pay TV channels for free, is a serious offence”.
The Hong Kong Customs spokesperson went on to say that “Customs wants to urge consumers to watch Pay TV through legal avenues. Users of ISDs will not only face disconnections but also may have their private data stolen by malicious actors”.
Neil Gane, the General Manager of Cabsaa’s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) said “We commend the great work of Hong Kong Customs in clamping down on syndicates who profit from the sale of Illicit Streaming Devices. The prevalence of ISDs in Hong Kong and across South East Asia is staggering. The criminals who sell ISDs, as well as those who operate the ISD networks and pirate websites, are profiting from the hard work of talented creators, seriously damaging the legitimate content ecosystem as well as exposing consumers to dangerous malware”. Gane also noted that the unprecedented growth in delivery of legal creative content over global broadband networks is being undermined by a surge in the sale of TV boxes with pre-loaded infringing applications.
Online video and broadband distribution has the potential to be a massive economic growth engine with analysts forecasting market growth of more than 20% over the next five years, benefiting consumers and creators of quality video content within Hong Kong and other Asian countries. But this growth potential is threatened by piracy.
In the past two years there have been many new roll-outs of online content services across the Asia Pacific region, by existing players as well as new ones. Unfortunately, the likelihood of success for legitimate online content suppliers is severely reduced by online access to pirated content via ISDs and streaming websites, resulting in the expectation of some consumers to get ‘something for nothing’.
“The illicit streaming device (ISD) ecosystem is impacting all businesses involved in the production and distribution of legitimate content”, said Louis Boswell, CEO of Casbaa. “That is why content producers, distributors and content platforms are coming together and forming associations such as Casbaa’s Coalition Against Piracy to combat this threat to their industry.”
Casbaa’s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) includes leading video content creators and distributors in Asia. Members include: beIN Sports, Casbaa, The Walt Disney Company, Fox Networks Group, HBO Asia, NBCUniversal, Premier League, Turner Asia-Pacific, A&E Networks, Astro, BBC Worldwide, CANAL+, Cignal, La Liga, Media Partners Asia, National Basketball Association, PCCW Media, Singtel, Sony Pictures Television Networks Asia, TVB, True Visions, TV5MONDE, and Viacom International Media Networks.
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About Casbaa
Casbaa is THE trade association for the video industry and ecosystem in Asia Pacific. It serves to make the video industry stronger and healthier through promoting the common interests of its members. Casbaa leads the fight against video piracy, publishes in-depth reports and hosts conferences and seminars aimed to support a vibrant video industry.
Contact Casbaa
For media contacts and additional background contact:
(Ms) Kay Bayliss
Manager, Marketing & Communications
Tel: +852 2854 9913
pr@casbaa.com