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Mr Chau added that apart from increasing the penalties for first conviction, the Amendment Bill would introduce a second tier of higher penalties for repeated offenders.
"Copyright piracy is a serious crime and repeated offenders will have to be punished more severely," he said.
"The penalties for repeated offenders will be a fine of $50,000 per infringing copy and four-year imprisonment on indictment."
The penalties for possession of a plate for manufacturing infringing copyright works will also be increased substantially from a fine of $50,000 and imprisonment of two years to a fine of $250,000 and imprisonment of four years on first conviction.
"Penalties for repeated offenders will be doubled," Mr Chau said.
The Amendment Bill will also provide that persons of a body corporate or a partnership found culpable of the infringement offence will be liable to the same penalties.
This seeks to plug an existing loophole in the Copyright Ordinance which does not catch the management of a body corporate or a partnership engaged in copyright infringing activities.
"The Customs and Excise Department will continue with their vigorous enforcement efforts against copyright piracy. Additional resources will be allocated to the department to create some 20 new posts in its Intellectual Property Investigation Bureau," Mr Chau said.
"The department will continue to strengthen its intelligence network and to target enforcement action against syndicates at border control points as well as at the wholesale level."
End/Wednesday, March 15, 1995