Taipei CD pirates move into the shadows but are still busy

March 27, 2003

While piracy remains a big problem in poor countries, it seems that anti piracy efforts are making progress. Pirated CDs are still available on the Taiwanese streets but they're marketed less publicly and the risk to get caught is much higher than before.

Mainly the United States, and their large entertainment industry, is putting pressure on the Taiwanese government to fight piracy. Piracy in most Asian countries is done by professional pirates and they're getting more and more aggressive in their methods.

No vendor is in sight. A handwritten note asks buyers to drop their money in a white plastic box. A counterfeit disc costs as little as US $ 0.50, compared with US for a copyrighted one.
The nation's CD pirates are slipping into the shadows, no longer daring to man their stalls, fearful of getting caught as pressure from the US forces authorities to step up their anti-piracy campaign.
"The government has finally recognized that this
is a serious problem, but drastic and speedy measures must be taken to
solve it," said Hank Kwuo of the Taiwan Anti-Piracy Coalition.