Some 461 pirates were arrested and 56 camcorders, 7.5 million pirated optical discs and 1 000 optical disc burners were seized in an Asia-Pacific wide anti-piracy enforcement operation launched by The Motion Picture Association (MPA).
Tagged “Operation Takedown’, it comprised nearly 600 raids undertaken by enforcement authorities in 12 countries across the region. As with previous similar operations, there was a focus on camcording as a root of piracy.
The raids were also aimed at targeting the producers, distributors and sellers of pirated movies and particularly on the Internet. Governments across the region have accordingly begun to tighten their laws on camcording. Thailand has followed Hong Kong’s lead by launching a multi-pronged approach that includes a public outreach campaign, the use of night vision goggles for cinema staff and a reward scheme.
