Hong Kong Customs detects suspected infringing cases involving unauthorised communication of copyright works to public (with photo)
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Customs has been closely monitoring the market situation, and found that some retail shops were offering customers illicit streaming devices, namely TV set-top boxes and designated application programs, for watching infringing audiovisual contents, which are suspected of communicating copyright works to the public without authorisation.
After a comprehensive investigation and with the assistance of the copyright owners, Customs officers on the aforementioned dates raided two retail shops which were suspected to be connected with cases in North Point and Sham Shui Po and seized the batch of suspected illicit streaming devices.
During the operations, two men, aged 50 and 59, were arrested. An investigation is ongoing. The likelihood of further arrests has not been excluded.
Customs reminds merchants not to participate in activities involving the unauthorised communication of copyrighted works to the public. Additionally, members of the public should respect intellectual property rights by refraining from purchasing any illicit streaming devices, and exercising caution against the cybersecurity risks posed by the use of such devices and specific applications.
Customs will continue to maintain close collaboration with copyright owners and will step up online and market inspections to combat various forms of infringing activities. At the same time, the department will increase awareness of respecting intellectual property rights among industry stakeholders and the public through publicity initiatives.
Under the Copyright Ordinance, any person who, without the authorisation of the copyright owner, communicates a copyright work to the public for the purpose of or in the course of any trade or business that consists of communicating works to the public for profit or reward; or communicates the work to the public to such an extent as to affect prejudicially the copyright owner, commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is imprisonment for four years and a fine of $50,000 in respect of each copyright work.
Members of the public may report any suspected infringing activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).
Ends/Thursday, June 26, 2025
Issued at HKT 15:55
Issued at HKT 15:55
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