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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1989
CUSTOMS COMMITS SUBSTANTIAL RESOURCES TO CURBING PIRACY
*
CURB
TO THE
THE CUSTOMS AND EXCISE DEPARTMENT IS DETERMINED ΤΟ INFRINGING ACTIVITIES AND HAS COMMITTED SUBSTANTIAL RESOURCES FIGHT AGAINST PIRACY.
THE ACTING COMMISSIONER KANG-SING, SAID TODAY (FRIDAY).
OF CUSTOMS AND EXCISE, MR TONG
OF EIGHT PLATE
ΤΟ
HE WAS SPEAKING AT A CEREMONY DURING WHICH A GROUP COMMEMORATIVE LOCAL LEADING VIDEO DISTRIBUTORS PRESENTED A THE CUSTOMS INTELLECTUAL BUREAU IN RECOGNITION OF ITS EFFORTS IN ELIMINATING PIRACY IN VIDEO TAPES.
MR TONG SAID ALTHOUGH VIDEO PIRACY APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN ON THE UPWARD TREND TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE PUBLIC DEMAND, THE SITUATION WAS NOW WELL UNDER CONTROL AS A RESULT OF THE CUSTOMS VIGOROUS ACTIONS.
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SO FAR THIS YEAR, CUSTOMS OFFICERS HAVE SEIZED OVER 16,000 VIDEO TAPES WITH A TOTAL VALUE OF $4.9 MILLION.
COMPARED TO THE TOTAL SEIZURE OF 7,700 VIDEO TAPES VALUED AT $1.8 MILLION IN THE WHOLE OF LAST YEAR, THE FIGURES MORE THAN DOUBLED IN BOTH QUANTITY AND VALUE TERMS.
MR TONG ATTRIBUTED THE SUCCESS TO THE RECENT RE-ORGANISATION OF THE DEPARTMENT IN WHICH COPYRIGHT PROTECTION WORK HAD BEEN STRENGTHENED WITH THE ADDITION OF MANPOWER AND UPGRADING OF THE COMMAND LEVEL.
AN INDEPENDENT COPYRIGHT INVESTIGATION DIVISION UNDER THE COMMAND OF A SUPERINTENDENT HAS BEEN SET UP AND IS PURELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ENFORCEMENT OF THE COPYRIGHT LAWS.
SINCE THE RE-ORGANISATION ON AUGUST 1, OFFICERS OF THE COPYRIGHT INVESTIGATION DIVISION HAVE CONDUCTED FIVE LARGE-SCALE OPERATIONS, RESULTING IN THE SEIZURE OF A TOTAL OF 12,313 INFRINGING VIDEO CASSETTE TAPES, WHICH REPRESENTED 73 PER CENT OF THIS YEAR'S TOTAL SEIZURE.
IN THESE OPERATIONS
A TOTAL OF 40 PERSONS HAD BEEN ARRESTED COMPARED WITH THE TOTAL FIGURE OF 111 30 FAR THIS YEAR.
IN AN OPERATION JUST TWO DAYS AGO, CUSTOMS OFFICERS MADE THE LARGEST HAUL OF 5,202 INFRINGING VIDEO TAPES.
MR TONG SAID IT WAS AN UNEQUIVOCAL RESOLUTION WORLDWIDE TO PROTECT THE LEGITIMATE INTERESTS OF LAW-ABIDING TRADERS AND CONSUMERS AND THAT THE DEPARTMENT
CONTINUE TO STRIVE FOR A COMPLETE REMOVAL OF PIRACY.
WOULD
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