Customs arrests five over pirated karaoke in party rooms
Thestandard · 1 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Hong Kong Customs carried out a territory-wide enforcement operation from late July to early September targeting suspected pirated karaoke music systems and gaming consoles used in commercial party rooms. In coordinated raids on 21 venues across Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories, officers arrested five people and seized suspected infringing equipment worth about HK$600,000
Key Points
- Customs deployed more than 100 officers in the operation, which focused on party rooms suspected of using unlicensed music devices and consoles to attract customers
- Investigators said the seized karaoke devices contained more than 10,000 preloaded Cantopop songs, including classics and chart releases from this year found on major online platforms and radio stations
- The five arrested were three men and two women aged 28 to 44, including venue operators and staff, on suspicion of breaching the Copyright Ordinance
- Officers seized 21 sets of suspected infringing karaoke players and one gaming console, with the haul estimated to have a market value of about HK$600,000
- Customs said some operators had increasingly adopted self-service booking systems in an apparent effort to reduce the chance of law enforcement detection
Why It Matters
Customs said business operators are legally responsible for ensuring that songs and audio-visual materials provided on their premises are properly licensed, and warned that a large, frequently updated music library does not prove lawful authorization. All five suspects were released on bail pending further investigation, and authorities said further arrests had not been ruled out