(CD) Pirates Take to the Ocean 385
rammstein_rulz writes "www.cdfreaks.com reports that asian CD pirates now produce thousands of pirated VCD's on anchored ships in international waters to avoid getting caught. Malaysian marine police have been asked to be on the lookout for pirate ships"
International Waters (Score:3, Interesting)
Piracy on the high seas? (Score:3, Interesting)
Cheaper by the million (Score:5, Interesting)
If I was trying to make money in IP violations, this is how I would do it:
1) Forge documents from media companies, ordering large batches of CDs and DVDs from established manufacturers.
2) Sell those records to wholesalers, which might or might not be aware of the scam.
3) Profit
Re:International Waters (Score:1, Interesting)
I think I heard something about the Malaysians, with the support of some movie companies, planning to launch a few 'enforcer' vessels to this effect.
Re:Piracy on the high seas? (Score:3, Interesting)
Mind you, the thought of software pirates swinging from the gallows is an interesting image! Althogh I think hanging Spammers would be more likely to meet with universal support
What I found to be funny... (Score:3, Interesting)
Which basically means anyone can just follow the provided links to buy all the sh-t (except the boat) that will enable them to jump right into the offshore piracy business!
Just Slows it down (Score:2, Interesting)
All in all, this only slows down the process of stomping on them, does not stop it.
We'll see.
DanH
Legality ? (Score:3, Interesting)
Even when they're NOT in international waters, the so-called "legality" is just as blurred.
What's "piracy" anyway ?
If RIAA wants to charge people an arm and a leg for trying out songs, and themselves (the RIAA) are known to NOT PAYING THE ROYALTIES to the artists, who's the REAL "pirate" ?
What the so-called "CD-pirates" are doing is just this - they are doing one thing that got the MPAA, RIAA, BSA and whatever hopping mad, as mad as what the DCMA is doing to many of us.
I am NOT saying what the "CD-pirates" are doing is right, but just that, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Period.
Hilarious (Score:5, Interesting)
Police in Penang last week launched "Operation Green Ribbon" to nab peddlers of illegal CDs and VCDs and Mazlan said they had already arrested four retailers and seized over 1,000 pirated copies.
I went to Penang just recently and there were literally multi-floor malls selling professional copies of Oracle for $20, dvds for $2-5 (based upon quality), Adobe products, MS products, etc. It was so vast it was staggering. One guy took a duffel bag overflowing with dvds/software back with us.
Basically what I'm getting at is if they've only found 1000 pirated copies, then they are either totally inept or not trying very hard.
Re:What I found to be funny... (Score:5, Interesting)
They had a "subsidiary" that was stationed on a old oil drilling ship, that sat moored off outside in international waters off the coast of NYC, and broadcast at 60,000 watts. People there would work and live on the ship, only going ashore about once a month for supplies.
Why not USA : EU :: Russia : NATO? (Score:2, Interesting)
a slight geographical inconvenience [prohibits the USA from joining the EU]
Even if all EU members must claim territory that geographically belongs to Europe, then why not "admit" the USA to the EU in much the same manner as Russia has been "admitted" to NATO?
Re:Hilarious (Score:5, Interesting)
Apparently, these operations can never really be stopped because while I was there, I literally saw police go and buy some copies of some VCD's (not seized, bought). These people just don't realize that their personal gain in purchasing and selling cheap software may be good for them in the short run, but disasterous to their nation in the long run.
Re:Just Slows it down (Score:2, Interesting)
i see you are unfamiliar with how pirated software is distributed in south east asia. the software pirates don't fuction like a mail order company or something similar; they don't mail out the pirated software CDs. they load them into big cardboard boxes and smuggle them by hiding the discs on lorries or vans which go to other neighbouring countries like singapore or thailand. from there, this discs are sold at wholesale prices to the local "distributors", who set up roadside stalls and peddle these discs for quite a handsome profit.
basically they're breaking the law all the way. first they're making pirated CDs, transporting them illegally and then selling them illegally as well. they're not gonna break the law by illegally copying software and then suddenly decide to play nice and distribute it via legal methods. this is the same reason why druglords smuggle in drugs rather than set up websites so people can use their credit cards to get them shipped via UPS.
All in all, this only slows down the process of stomping on them, does not stop it.
i doubt you know how things work over in malaysia better than the software pirates so don't make such a presumption.
the software pirates don't set up factories which they register as "software pirating factories". rather, they use factories manufacturing other goods as a cover for their operations. the authorities are able to clamp down on them after they get tipped off, and the software pirates get busted cos they can't pack up and leave fast enough without leaving any evidence behind.
due to this, moving their operations aboard offshore ships makes the centre of operations mobile, and therefore hard to track and clamp down on by the authorities.
It happens (Score:1, Interesting)
As well, the street vendors are not at their usuall places.
The computer cd shops have been open though..which is weird.
This is typical here, every so often the shops close, they do a raid, the shops open.
Pot, kettle, black. (Score:5, Interesting)
It's not that stupid.
Maybe you don't realize it but this sort of thing worked for the USA, it worked for Switzerland and I'm sure it worked for many other countries.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2002379.stm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,
Open your eyes dude. The only reason it'll be bad in the long run is if the USA takes hypocritical, harsh and unfair action to stop others from doing precisely what it did for its own benefit in the past. Trade barriers etc etc.
Try to see it from this point of view just for a moment.
Re:Freedonia, and "Micro Nations" (Score:4, Interesting)
Say, perhaps, the "Country" of Sealand [sealandgov.com]?
Now, here you might have something! You get the 3 guys (or whatever) to agree to register with the International Registry, and
Heck, they practically are a ship to begin with!
But this raises more questions... What if you have a permanently anchored "dock" at sea? Something that floats, with pools, solar water purifiers, etc, and market it as a "vacation resort"?
Make it big, and kinda sprawling, and make it float. What then? Cruise ships today routinely take passengers numbering thousands, already many more people than something like Sealand.
At what point can a manmade structure become a nation?
Re:International Waters (Score:2, Interesting)
Agreed, personally I saw this as an April-fools type story when I saw it: It sounds more like the fabrication of someone who was trying to think of a real pseudo-ironic (not literally ironic, but in the manner that most people use the term ironic): "Isn't that ironic? They're producing CDs, making themselves pirates, on ships! HAHA!". Legally, as you said, this has zero merit. The excuse that they're doing it to avoid detection has no validity either: One can hide a dupe machine anywhere with zero chance of getting caught-> Getting caught comes when you start to sell the product and the authorities work themselves up the chain until they're busting in your door.
I'd love to here from someone in Malaysian confirming this story, because personally it sounds like BS.
Re:What caused this? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Enemies of Your Friend Are Now Your Enemies (Score:3, Interesting)
The price of a product has nothing to do with your own sense of ethics. If you aren't personally ashamed to be a thief, well, I guess you'll steal something.
Re:International Waters (Score:5, Interesting)
> I believe that a vessel in internation waters is
> subject to the laws of its flag country -- the
> country in which the vessel is registered.
Then these ships must fly a gold sun cross on a field of blue, the flag of that island whose language is song. Its divine Queen has never recognized the property rights, real or "intellectual", of the media sharks before ("Mosura" 1961, "Mosura tai Gojira" 1964, or "Gojira, Ebira, Mosura: Nankai no Dai Ketto" 1966), and I don't see her starting anytime soon.
Seriously, I think it bears pointing out that these ships are pressing VCDs of movies so we are talking MPAA here -- let us get our sharks straight. The market for these unauthorized copies is to people in the region who would never, ever, be able to afford a full price DVD. As with software, cheap versions of the hardware is a seriously major purchase for them (assuming they don't just use a computer at an internet cafe). Just forget about their having anything but pocket change to pay for the software/movies/etc. The street vendors hawking these unauthorized copies sell at what the market would bear. The media sharks do not sell to these people, so there is demand, but not much money, and no legitimate products to fill the demand.
The people out in boats making these VCDs are *not* real pirates. They do not hijack ships, murder, or rape (at least, that we know of). Yes, they are breaking a law, but so is the average American who speeds on the way to work, parks without paying the meter, or lies on income tax forms.
If the media sharks were remotely interested in actually putting an end to this terrible crime, they'd sign these "pirates" on as local distributors for a cut of their profits! The people get their movies at a price they can afford, the newly ordained distributors can conduct their business under more pleasant conditions, and the police can save their efforts for those who continue to prefer breaking the law and, gasp, actual murderers! The sharks save money on enforcement, and make a little money from their new distributors.
But no, that would be common sense. We can't have that!
Bells are ringing: Mothra, Mothra! Every heart is calling: Mothra, Mothra!
Come on, Tok Wira, these sharks have gotta pay! New Kirk calling Mothra, we need you today!
G Countdown: 23 days (www.godzillaoncube.com)
Re:Enemies of Your Friend Are Now Your Enemies (Score:4, Interesting)
Sure, the price of CD's is too high. And, sure, that's an incentive to get it elsewhere. People are still buying them, though. Someone paid cash for that CD they're "sharing".
The best way to force CD prices to drop is to stop buying CD's at those prices. Start putting some stores out of business.
What is next for the RIAA? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Bring back Privateering. (Score:5, Interesting)
Hehe, maybe Sony would be interested in allowing me to pirate cd's produced by Virgin records for example, as long as I don't touch anything produced by Sony. In exchange they will provide me with lawyers to legaly protect my ass. Well fat chance of that happening
Re:International Waters (Score:2, Interesting)
As for police reinforcement - I've seen it for myself - In a shopping mall called Holiday Plaza where a lot of the pirate electronics is openly traded - all the stalls will close down for half a day every month or so. The police will perform a token raid, fine any traders that didn't pay the bribe beforehand and leave.
Business can then proceed.
I suspect that the authorities are slightly more serious about staming down on the manufacture rather than the sale of contraband CDs but even so, a Royal Malaysian Navy patrol vessel raiding a token pirate ship will serve nothing more than government propaganda. One or two stories on the evening news.
The Singaporeans will say they were Malaysian, the malaysians will say they were Indonesian and the Indonesians will say they were Chinese.
Holy L. Ron Hubbbard! (Score:3, Interesting)
I think I can see, like legal sheet lightning on the horizon, the copyright industry gearing up to remove the protection of international waters.
Which is doubly amusing, since the Church of Scien*ology was one of the first instigators of digital copyright law change. Back in '91, I recall, they first tore after anon.penet.fi for relaying their "copyrighted" Xenu tracts. And in '95, when they were confiscating PC's for having "illegal" copies. And certainly when they helped out with the DMCA legislation.
I just think it's funny, in a sad way. Round the circle we go. Now the copyright kings in RIAA et al. will set out after international water neutrality, seeking to to remove the protections that once saved the founder of one of the most litigious copyright abusing organizations.
If the protection of the high seas is removed, as I posit, then there will be no place left to get away from the U.S.'s interpretation of intellectual property. No Switzerlands of the mind.