China is going to implement stricter Anti-piracy penalties by including those caught even with smaller numbers of DVDs or CDs.

The Supreme People’s Court of China has decreased the amount of pirated DVDs and CDs needed to be prosecute for breaking the Anti-piracy law and offender could land up to three year in prison.
Those in possession of 500 pirated discs will be meted criminal prosecution instead of the usual fines. The amount of counterfeit CDs and DVDs for which any individual could be placed for up to seven years in prison was also decreased by 2,500. According to some US officials, unauthorized copying or piracy cost legitimate producers billions of dollars a each year and China is believed to be the world’s top source of pirated software, music, movies, branded clothes & accessories, medicines and almost all types of products.

As China is gearing up to enter the World Trade Organization (WTO), it is becoming increasingly clear that Chinese government has to take some concrete steps to eradicate the piracy problem. Some of the biggest commercial names such as Microsoft, Sun, Nike, Robert Bosch, Philip Morris, Anheuser-Busch and Prada are publicly lobbying Beijing to halt a scourge they say is costing them billions of dollars in sales each year.
According to a Public Security Ministry official in China, the situation has improved, with the government shutting down 17 production lines making pirated DVDs and CDs last year and six this year, according to Yan Xiaohong, deputy commissioner of the National Copyright Administration of China. Authorities are even offering rewards of up to 300,000 Yuan ($36,000) for giving information on illegal copying.

Via: allheadlinenews.com