Pirated DVDs flood the market

Pirated DVD copies of the latest Hollywood blockbusters are once again being sold rampantly at give-away prices, according to the Association Against Copyright Theft.

Illicit DVDs have flooded the market, said AACT president Joseph Borg, who estimates that piracy could account for up to 60 per cent of all DVD material in Malta.

"Malta has adopted all the EU directives, however it is tragic to see that they only exist on paper," Mr Borg lamented.

The association's investigators bought DVD copies of recent films such as Troy, Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Day after Tomorrow, Elf, Kill Bill 2 and Dawn of the Dead, all of which are still unreleased on disc. No VAT receipts were given to the buyer.

The Passion Of The Christ was the most pirated title this year with copies being sold "all over" markets and shops.

The AACT confirmed claims made in a letter to The Times on Wednesday by KRS general manager Charles Pace that pirated copies of Shrek 2 were also on sale. The animated film has not even been released in local cinemas.

Mr Borg pointed a finger at the courts but not at the police, who, he insisted, were trying to do their job.

The police conducted over 15 raids this year and seized over 8,000 optical discs. Customs also stopped over eight consignments of pirate products being imported from the Far East. Three such consignments destined for Malta were also seized at Heathrow airport.

But fines ranging between Lm100 and Lm400 imposed by the courts were "negligible" in this line of business and were acting as no deterrent, Mr Borg insisted.

"The same offenders are persisting with their illegal activities, over and over again. The fines they pay in court are only a cheap running expense to them, with no overheads such as having a regularly licensed shop.

"It is obscene that a few persons who are well known to the authorities are allowed to continue dealing in pirated products in popular areas, without paying an equitable price at law," Mr Borg said.

"Would the courts treat these people in the same manner if they were repeat drug offenders," he asked.

Mr Borg said one had to keep in mind that those who dabble in piracy were making over Lm2 profit per DVD. Consumers were obviously enticed by the attractive prices - most pirated films were selling at Lm3 a copy, or Lm10 for four films.

The same could be said for PlayStation games and CD-ROMs, Mr Borg charged.

It was deplorable and shameful that Malta was openly mentioned among the worst offenders in Europe for piracy during the recent Cannes Film Festival, he said.

"The AACT has had various meetings with the authorities, seemingly to little avail, as these pirates keep on having the upper hand in a safe haven encouraged by the laxity of the local laws, which must change to follow the most evolved of our fellow European countries."

If this situation were to continue, the effect on the local film-making industry, the cinemas and the legitimate DVD dealers and distributors could be devastating, he warned.

Cinema and legitimate distribution, rental and retail industries were suffering severe damages and this would eventually lead to job and investment losses.

The AACT will be stepping up efforts in the coming months to fight this "scourge" and urges consumers not to buy illegitimate products of any kind.

"This is a battle which the industries have to win. If this does not happen, the result will not be an indifferent issue. It will not be just the individual industries that will suffer but also the consumer in general down the line since there will be fewer and fewer films to see, fewer and fewer games to play, less and less music..."