ANOTHER MOVIE CAMCORDER ARRESTED IN HONG KONG
Vigilant Cinema Staff Keep Clean Sheet in Territory Previously Plagued by Camcords
- 14Jul 2010
Singapore/Hong Kong – Alert cinema staff at Hong Kong’s Broadway Palace IFC Cinema who spotted a woman covertly camcording leading to her arrest on suspicion of illegally camcording a movie were today acknowledged and rewarded by the presentation of letters of appreciation and a cash reward.
The woman was arrested by officers from the Hong Kong Customs & Excise Department (HKC&ED) on suspicion of using a mobile phone to illegally camcord “Knight and Day” on June 27.
The arrested woman is being investigated by HKC&ED officers and faces criminal charges for having in her possession video equipment in a place of public entertainment. The latest arrest is the sixth this year and the ninth since September 2009, as cinemas across Hong Kong maintain a high level of vigilance to prevent illegal camcording.
At an award ceremony held today at the Broadway Palace IFC Cinema in Central, letters of appreciation were presented to three members of cinema staff and a reward of HK$2,000 (US$256) given to representatives of the Broadway Palace IFC Cinema.
The presentation was made by Mr. Sam Ho, Executive Director and General Manager of the International Federation Against Copyright Theft – Greater China (IFACT-GC) and witnessed by representatives from the movie distribution industry, including Ms. Vicky Wong, Chairman of the Hong Kong Theatres Association (HKTA), Twentieth Century Fox International Assistant Manager (Marketing, Fox Searchlight) Ms. Nancy Lan and General Manager – Hong Kong Ms. Anita Cheung as well as Broadway Circuit’s Operations Manager Mr. Jazz Lung.
“Watchful cinema staff are our line of first defense in the fight against illegal camcording across the region and nowhere are they more vigilant than in Hong Kong - and the results speak for themselves,” said Mike Ellis, President and Managing Director, Asia-Pacific, Motion Picture Association. “We applaud the effective collaboration between the Hong Kong Theatre Association, distributors, and the Hong Kong Customs in setting the benchmark on how to handle illegal camcording. We are glad to see the exhibitors in Hong Kong, in particular, take ownership of the issue not only in implementing stringent security measures to protect content but also raising public awareness about the consequences of illegal camcording. The Hong Kong model is something the rest of the region could well emulate.”
“I and other members of the HKTA are proud of the professionalism shown by our front line cinema staff in preventing illegal camcording,” said the HKTA’s Chairman Ms. Vicky Wong. “They should be proud of themselves as they are playing an important role in protecting our industry and showing that Hong Kong cares about protecting creativity.”
“This incident underlines just how seriously the HKTA, Hong Kong Customs and copyright holders are about protecting our creative industries and the industries that distribute movies and other creative products,” said IFACT-GC’s Sam Ho. “People are welcome in our cinemas to enjoy movies but they should resist any temptation to illegally record from the screen as the consequences could be very serious.”
Forensic matching confirmed that nine movies were stolen from Hong Kong cinemas in 2008 and used to produce pirated DVDs and / or used in infringing downloads. As a result of the joint efforts of the HKTA, the HKC&ED and the IFACT-GC, no pirated movies found in hard goods or online since 2009 were camcorded from Hong Kong cinemas.
Under Hong Kong law, a person commits an offence if they have in their possession (without lawful authority or reasonable excuse) any video recording equipment in a place of public entertainment. Anyone breaking this law may be fined up to HK$50,000 (US$6420) and imprisoned for up to three months. Any person convicted of illegally camcording a movie may be imprisoned for up to four years.
Download File (PDF)For more information, please contact
Edward Neubronner
MPA Asia-Pacific
(65) 6253 1033
Siti Rohdiah
MPA Asia-Pacific
(65) 6253 1033
Sam Ho
IFA©T Greater China
(852) 2785 0363
About the MPA
The Motion Picture Association (MPA) and Motion Picture Association International (MPA-I) represent the interests of major motion picture companies in the global marketplace. To do so, it promotes and protects its member companies’ intellectual property rights and conducts public awareness programs to highlight to movie fans around the world the importance of content protection. These activities have helped to transform entire markets benefiting film industries in each country including foreign and local filmmakers alike.
The organizations’ worldwide operations are directed from its headquarters in Los Angeles, California and overseen in the Asia Pacific by a team based in Singapore. Its member companies include: Paramount Pictures Corporation; Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.; Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation; Universal City Studios LLLP; The Walt Disney Studios; and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. For more information about the MPA, please visit www.mpa-i.org.
