Malaysia's New Copyright Act To Make Owning A Single Counterfeit DVD Illegal

from the can't-have-any-sort-of-competition dept

Thu, Jan 21st 2010 1:29pm — Mike Masnick

All over the world, it seems, the entertainment industry keeps pushing for ever more draconian copyright laws. Copycense points us to the latest out of Malaysia, where an amendment to the Copyright Act would making owning a single counterfeit DVD illegal. Yes, just owning it. In most places, it's distributing or reproducing that causes infringement. But now we're adding owning to the list. Imagine buying what you thought was a legitimate DVD and then being dragged to court for it. That seems reasonable.

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Filed Under: copyright, counterfeit, dvds, malaysia

18 Comments

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Brian (profile), 21 Jan 2010 @ 12:33pm

Same as ISPs
I mean its the same though process they have for ISPs. They should just magically know whats illegal and what isn't
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Thomas (profile), 21 Jan 2010 @ 1:09pm

Link
That link is broken.
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A Dan (profile), 21 Jan 2010 @ 2:07pm

Counterfeits
The difference between counterfeits and imitations is that it's supposed to be difficult to tell a counterfeit from the original. If this is a counterfeit DVD, how is the layperson supposed to know it's not real?

Now, if we're talking bootleg, that's a completely different situation.
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more for you, 21 Jan 2010 @ 2:32pm

and
before you say this never happens
i coded some software for a company in pickering ontario
the cops would bring in 75000 pirated cdrs and dvdrs
and they were to be melted down

GUESS what
for two years they weren't and pushed back out onto the market
and these arent some kids unlabeled dvdrs
these were counterfeit replicas

they got time in jail and such and it had ties ot the mafia for real
this i do not condone
GO FOR IT WITH YOUR LAWS but dont harm the victims and or people over it
and ffs leave kids out of this they aint labeling or trying to make a replica
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and again, 21 Jan 2010 @ 2:34pm

adlib
that was 75K /month avg
and everyone htought it was being melted down and hte plastic being shipped out to get recycled

ahha
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Lawrence D'Oliveiro, 21 Jan 2010 @ 2:35pm

But WIll This Law Make A Difference?
I spent about the first 20 years of my life in Malaysia, and during that time copyright laws were widely ignored. Also more laws were passed later, and also ignored. So what difference will yet another set of laws make?
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hrm, 21 Jan 2010 @ 2:37pm

how ignored laws work
well when you become a nuisance and your breaking one they arrest you and give you the max penalty

its a way to create conformity at least they think so.
WHAT it will lead to if that begins is unrest and not just maly
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mrharrysan (profile), 21 Jan 2010 @ 3:41pm

Haven't been to Malaysia, but in the Phillipines nobody has "official" DVDs. It is far easier to go to the market and get a copied disc for a dollar or 2. I imagine it is the same there.
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RD, 21 Jan 2010 @ 3:57pm

Make no mistake
"Yes, just owning it. In most places, it's distributing or reproducing that causes infringement. But now we're adding owning to the list."

Make absolutely no mistake here: THIS is the goal of all Big Media. Period. They want nothing more than to get the laws changed so far in their favor, that they can dictate the legality of ownership TO YOU. Then they can extract money from you for EVERY view/listen, and completely prevent anything remotely resembling ownership, fair use, or first sale doctrine.
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Michael Ho (profile), 21 Jan 2010 @ 3:59pm

Re: Link
what link is broken? I see no broken links...
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Anonymous, 21 Jan 2010 @ 4:09pm

Re: and
Excuse me sir, i DO label and DO try to make replicas and DO try to make money.

But thats just because I hate the MPAA and like to steal their profits. Everyone up on that end is rich already anyways.
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Danny (profile), 21 Jan 2010 @ 4:44pm

Everyone should mail a counterfeit DVD to a Malaysian movie executive
"Imagine buying what you thought was a legitimate DVD and then being dragged to court for it."

Or worse, receiving one as a gift!
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Griff, 21 Jan 2010 @ 5:52pm

Re: Everyone should mail a counterfeit DVD to a Malaysian movie executive
Malaysia is a paradise for fake discs. It's a good possibility that anyone there who owns more than one DVD probably has a few non-legitimate items.
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Jan 2010 @ 6:08pm

This 'law' is not as insidious and one might thing. Pirated discs in Malaysia are very obviously pirated - they are sold in soft plastic covers, with poorly printed sleeves and disc silkscreens; thus the are quite easy to differentiate from the original discs.
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The Chenzo, 21 Jan 2010 @ 6:21pm

Having travelled from Australia to Malasia for a honeymoon - 2 weeks, a long holiday - 2 months, another short holiday - - 2 weeks and was considering going back as a surprise 10th wedding anniversary - this change will Cancel that trip.

Going out to a Cinema is not an option for us.

So, Shopping for DVD's was a MAJOR component of the decision making process for returning to Malasia. The night markets are great fun in Penang. The shopping malls in KL were even better. Fantastic. The DVD copies in Malasia ranged fom $2.50-$5 Australian. At that price, we bought Heaps IE: ~50 or so per trip. Some were never watched, some didn't play, some were of insufferable quality, but most were worth the money. From the most recent releases to stuff we had wanted to see, advert free, for YEARS.

We would even buy a DVD player there as well, so we could start watching whilst on holiday, during the evenings. Bliss.

(We also purchased Home Stereo Amp's, Clothes, fabric, pewter etc - and all the other great stuff Malasia has to offer. In short we were GOOD TOURISTS for their economy.)

Sadly, no more.
We'll go back to Indonesia or the Phillipines instead.
A recent 1st trip to Bankok where we discovered "Pantip" Plaza's 6 floors on DVD and Electronics have now set Malasia's fate.

If The Idiots HERE in Australia could only learn that $10 is the absolute MAXIMUM price for a CD or DVD, I'd ever be prepared to pay. My friends agree. We know it's only cost a $1 or two to make. We don't begrudge covering costs, transportation, shop expenses etc and some money for the Band/film - but $40 instead of $10 ? No way!

If they were priced reasonably, then I wouldn't bother with dodgy rip-off's or downloading what I want.

Until they learn to satisfy that demand, I will get what I want, when I want, at a price near zero.

As regards music:
So glad that bands are getting the right idea.
This one's on us? Brilliant! NIN rocks!
Would happily pay $100(max) now for a NIN concert ticket, would never have bothered to go see them before - even if free!
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Jan 2010 @ 9:01pm

Perhpas a nit, but "single" and "3" are not equivalent.
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Sos, 21 Jan 2010 @ 9:26pm

I would guess that almost every household in Malaysia has at least one copied DVD.
On my recent trip back it was amusing to see on the latest copied dvds they have put in those warning sequences except not against piracy, but against other "inferior quality" copied dvd's!
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chrisbryon, 6 May 2010 @ 1:50am

The difference between counterfeits and imitations is that it's supposed to be difficult to tell a counterfeit from the original.........
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