Hong Kong Customs raided a cyber café on June 8 and seized 258 computers and 12 computer servers installed with pirated operating system software, worth about $1.45 million in total.
Customs officers carried out an in-depth investigation from information received earlier alleging that a cyber café had its computers installed with pirated operating system software.
Subsequently, Customs officers mounted the operation on June 8 to raid a 24-hour upstairs cyber café in Tsuen Wan, and found that 258 computers and 12 computer servers in the cyber café were installed with pirated operating system software.
A 41-year-old male director and a 24-year-old male technician were arrested. They were released on bail pending further investigation.
Speaking today (June 10) at a press briefing, the Acting Head of Intellectual Property Investigation Bureau, Mr Thomas Lin, said that it was Customs' largest-ever seizure of computers installed with pirated operating system software. In addition, it was the first time that a cyber café was found using computer servers installed with pirated software to upload infringing copies to other workstations in the café.
Mr Lin reminded proprietors of cyber cafés to respect intellectual property rights. He said that under the Copyright Ordinance, if a business organisation was found in possession of infringing copies of computer programmes, movies, TV dramas, musical recordings (including visual and sound recordings) for use in the business, its directors or partners may be subject to criminal liability.
Anyone who knowingly uses pirated software in business commits a criminal offence. The maximum penalty is a fine of $50,000 per infringing copy and imprisonment for four years.
Ends/Thursday, June 10, 2010
