Piracy is a hot topic at this week’s World Trade Organisation summit in Hong Kong — so hot that the city’s notoriously vibrant pirate DVD businesses have decided to shut up shop during the talks.
Squatter stores and hawkers that usually fill the bustling shopping areas such as Wan Chai and Causeway Bay were boarded up or shuttered down on Wednesday, a day after the World Trade Organisation talks began.
Even the shabby computer emporiums of Wan Chai — where customers can buy movies, albums and software at a snip of their retail price — were closed for business.
The huge security crackdown surrounding the six-day talks was blamed for driving out the pirates.
“There are so many police,” said a man working in a legitimate Wan Chai DVD store, gesturing towards a train of police vans parked along the road.
Hong Kong is an important outlet for the counterfeit DVD and CD syndicates operating in southern China.
The government has vowed to crack down on the scourge, which industry experts say is losing intellectual property rights owners billions of dollars each year. — AFP