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(CD) Pirates Take to the Ocean

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the you-can't-make-this-stuff-up dept.

rammstein_rulz writes "www.cdfreaks.com reports that asian CD pirates now produce thousands of pirated VCD's on anchored ships in international waters to avoid getting caught. Malaysian marine police have been asked to be on the lookout for pirate ships"

23 of 308 comments (clear)

  1. International Waters by kila_m · · Score: 3, Interesting

    If they are in international waters.. what are the legal implications ? Whos Jurisdiction etc .. would they come under ?

    1. Re:International Waters by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting
      Actually, very few laws exist in international waters. That's why whaling and such is legal when boats get far enough out. Some countries have laws covering what you can and can't do as a citizen even outside of the country, but to my knowledge it's perfectly legal to sink a ship if it's attempting to commit piracy or other theft of goods.

      I think I heard something about the Malaysians, with the support of some movie companies, planning to launch a few 'enforcer' vessels to this effect.

    2. Re:International Waters by ergo98 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      One wonders if the story is a spoof since being at sea does nothing to improve the legal situation and the mechanics of producing CDs on board a ship do not sound promissing, I doubt that CD pressing plants are designed to be used on ship.

      Agreed, personally I saw this as an April-fools type story when I saw it: It sounds more like the fabrication of someone who was trying to think of a real pseudo-ironic (not literally ironic, but in the manner that most people use the term ironic): "Isn't that ironic? They're producing CDs, making themselves pirates, on ships! HAHA!". Legally, as you said, this has zero merit. The excuse that they're doing it to avoid detection has no validity either: One can hide a dupe machine anywhere with zero chance of getting caught-> Getting caught comes when you start to sell the product and the authorities work themselves up the chain until they're busting in your door.

      I'd love to here from someone in Malaysian confirming this story, because personally it sounds like BS.

    3. Re:International Waters by Melantha_Bacchae · · Score: 5, Interesting

      An AC wrote:

      > I believe that a vessel in internation waters is
      > subject to the laws of its flag country -- the
      > country in which the vessel is registered.

      Then these ships must fly a gold sun cross on a field of blue, the flag of that island whose language is song. Its divine Queen has never recognized the property rights, real or "intellectual", of the media sharks before ("Mosura" 1961, "Mosura tai Gojira" 1964, or "Gojira, Ebira, Mosura: Nankai no Dai Ketto" 1966), and I don't see her starting anytime soon.

      Seriously, I think it bears pointing out that these ships are pressing VCDs of movies so we are talking MPAA here -- let us get our sharks straight. The market for these unauthorized copies is to people in the region who would never, ever, be able to afford a full price DVD. As with software, cheap versions of the hardware is a seriously major purchase for them (assuming they don't just use a computer at an internet cafe). Just forget about their having anything but pocket change to pay for the software/movies/etc. The street vendors hawking these unauthorized copies sell at what the market would bear. The media sharks do not sell to these people, so there is demand, but not much money, and no legitimate products to fill the demand.

      The people out in boats making these VCDs are *not* real pirates. They do not hijack ships, murder, or rape (at least, that we know of). Yes, they are breaking a law, but so is the average American who speeds on the way to work, parks without paying the meter, or lies on income tax forms.

      If the media sharks were remotely interested in actually putting an end to this terrible crime, they'd sign these "pirates" on as local distributors for a cut of their profits! The people get their movies at a price they can afford, the newly ordained distributors can conduct their business under more pleasant conditions, and the police can save their efforts for those who continue to prefer breaking the law and, gasp, actual murderers! The sharks save money on enforcement, and make a little money from their new distributors.

      But no, that would be common sense. We can't have that!

      Bells are ringing: Mothra, Mothra! Every heart is calling: Mothra, Mothra!
      Come on, Tok Wira, these sharks have gotta pay! New Kirk calling Mothra, we need you today!

      G Countdown: 23 days (www.godzillaoncube.com)

    4. Re:International Waters by sadtrev · · Score: 2, Interesting

      There is plenty of trade in Pirate software, VCDs and, over the past 6 months DVDs made in Malaysia and sold in Johore Bharu - just over the causeway from Singapore at abut Rm8 (US$1.50) each. Most of these are for the local (ASEAN) market but I have seen plenty of examples of DVDs that are targeted at expatriates and business travellers.
      As for police reinforcement - I've seen it for myself - In a shopping mall called Holiday Plaza where a lot of the pirate electronics is openly traded - all the stalls will close down for half a day every month or so. The police will perform a token raid, fine any traders that didn't pay the bribe beforehand and leave.
      Business can then proceed.
      I suspect that the authorities are slightly more serious about staming down on the manufacture rather than the sale of contraband CDs but even so, a Royal Malaysian Navy patrol vessel raiding a token pirate ship will serve nothing more than government propaganda. One or two stories on the evening news.
      The Singaporeans will say they were Malaysian, the malaysians will say they were Indonesian and the Indonesians will say they were Chinese.

  2. Piracy on the high seas? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    England certainly still has the death penalty for this (along with treason and one other I cannot remember).. does this mean we are going to start seeing people hang again? ;)

    1. Re:Piracy on the high seas? by ColdGrits · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Off topic I know, but the third crime for which the UK (not just England, please note) has the death penalty is "arson in a naval dockyard".

      Mind you, the thought of software pirates swinging from the gallows is an interesting image! Althogh I think hanging Spammers would be more likely to meet with universal support :-)

      --
      People should not be afraid of their governments - Governments should be afraid of their people.
  3. Cheaper by the million by mangu · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Why bother with small scale copying at all? Instead of trying to impose non-working copy-protection on consumer hardware, the media industry should focus on large scale copying.


    If I was trying to make money in IP violations, this is how I would do it:

    1) Forge documents from media companies, ordering large batches of CDs and DVDs from established manufacturers.

    2) Sell those records to wholesalers, which might or might not be aware of the scam.

    3) Profit

  4. What I found to be funny... by Travoltus · · Score: 3, Interesting

    ...was that the page with the news article featured links right to where you could purchase the CD ROMs and RW's, plus the software to burn the CDs.
    Which basically means anyone can just follow the provided links to buy all the sh-t (except the boat) that will enable them to jump right into the offshore piracy business!

    --
    --- Grow a pair, liberals... stop letting the Republicans bully you!
    1. Re:What I found to be funny... by Flounder · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I worked for a Pirate radio station in Tijuana a few years ago. Technically, they weren't illegal, they just had their station and transmitter about 150yds from the border in San Diego and blasted about 75,000 watts.

      They had a "subsidiary" that was stationed on a old oil drilling ship, that sat moored off outside in international waters off the coast of NYC, and broadcast at 60,000 watts. People there would work and live on the ship, only going ashore about once a month for supplies.

      --

      No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always a boom tomorrow. - Cmdr. Susan Ivanova

  5. Legality ? by Taco+Cowboy · · Score: 3, Interesting



    Even when they're NOT in international waters, the so-called "legality" is just as blurred.

    What's "piracy" anyway ?

    If RIAA wants to charge people an arm and a leg for trying out songs, and themselves (the RIAA) are known to NOT PAYING THE ROYALTIES to the artists, who's the REAL "pirate" ?

    What the so-called "CD-pirates" are doing is just this - they are doing one thing that got the MPAA, RIAA, BSA and whatever hopping mad, as mad as what the DCMA is doing to many of us.

    I am NOT saying what the "CD-pirates" are doing is right, but just that, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

    Period.

    --
    Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
  6. Hilarious by ffatTony · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Police in Penang last week launched "Operation Green Ribbon" to nab peddlers of illegal CDs and VCDs and Mazlan said they had already arrested four retailers and seized over 1,000 pirated copies.

    I went to Penang just recently and there were literally multi-floor malls selling professional copies of Oracle for $20, dvds for $2-5 (based upon quality), Adobe products, MS products, etc. It was so vast it was staggering. One guy took a duffel bag overflowing with dvds/software back with us.

    Basically what I'm getting at is if they've only found 1000 pirated copies, then they are either totally inept or not trying very hard.

    1. Re:Hilarious by gotr00t · · Score: 5, Interesting
      Yes, I agree that the law enforcement around the far east are doing a horrid job. Apparently, last time I went to China, there were literally entire floors of a mall covered with retailers of pirated CD's. Most of them were selling the exact same thing, hinting at a similar souce. Some of the packages were printed well, and had a good design to them, and most of the CDs were of poor quality, but were pressed, and not burned. There were also CD's that came in packages that looked like it came out of an inkjet printer, and the CD itself was a CD-R.

      Apparently, these operations can never really be stopped because while I was there, I literally saw police go and buy some copies of some VCD's (not seized, bought). These people just don't realize that their personal gain in purchasing and selling cheap software may be good for them in the short run, but disasterous to their nation in the long run.

  7. Why not USA : EU :: Russia : NATO? by yerricde · · Score: 2, Interesting

    a slight geographical inconvenience [prohibits the USA from joining the EU]

    Even if all EU members must claim territory that geographically belongs to Europe, then why not "admit" the USA to the EU in much the same manner as Russia has been "admitted" to NATO?

    --
    Will I retire or break 10K?
  8. It happens by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Well, I live here, and since last thursday our time all the vcd (video) shops have been closed tight.

    As well, the street vendors are not at their usuall places.

    The computer cd shops have been open though..which is weird.

    This is typical here, every so often the shops close, they do a raid, the shops open.

  9. Pot, kettle, black. by TheLink · · Score: 5, Interesting

    What do you mean by "These people just don't realize that their personal gain in purchasing and selling cheap software may be good for them in the short run, but disasterous to their nation in the long run"

    It's not that stupid.

    Maybe you don't realize it but this sort of thing worked for the USA, it worked for Switzerland and I'm sure it worked for many other countries.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2002379.stm

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,6 65 861,00.html

    Open your eyes dude. The only reason it'll be bad in the long run is if the USA takes hypocritical, harsh and unfair action to stop others from doing precisely what it did for its own benefit in the past. Trade barriers etc etc.

    Try to see it from this point of view just for a moment.

    --
  10. Re:Freedonia, and "Micro Nations" by mcrbids · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Why not a real Country?

    Say, perhaps, the "Country" of Sealand?

    Now, here you might have something! You get the 3 guys (or whatever) to agree to register with the International Registry, and ... voila!

    Heck, they practically are a ship to begin with!

    But this raises more questions... What if you have a permanently anchored "dock" at sea? Something that floats, with pools, solar water purifiers, etc, and market it as a "vacation resort"?

    Make it big, and kinda sprawling, and make it float. What then? Cruise ships today routinely take passengers numbering thousands, already many more people than something like Sealand.

    At what point can a manmade structure become a nation?

    --
    I have no problem with your religion until you decide it's reason to deprive others of the truth.
  11. Re:What caused this? by MoneyT · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Fun? Entertainment? Getting your message out? Self expression? Some how I doubt musicians started out with the idea that they were going to turn into multi million dollar stars. There are plenty of local and independent groups all across the country that perform in night clubs and bars. They do street performances, give lessons etc etc etc. They do not make millions from selling CDs, yet for some reason, they keep making music.

    --
    T Money
    World Domination with a plastic spoon since 1984
  12. Re:Enemies of Your Friend Are Now Your Enemies by reallocate · · Score: 3, Interesting

    You don't "need" to steal anything, especially something as unimportant as popular music.

    The price of a product has nothing to do with your own sense of ethics. If you aren't personally ashamed to be a thief, well, I guess you'll steal something.

    --
    -- Slashdot: When Public Access TV Says "No"
  13. Re:Enemies of Your Friend Are Now Your Enemies by reallocate · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Ummm...choosing the wrong word isn't a mistake of grammar.

    Sure, the price of CD's is too high. And, sure, that's an incentive to get it elsewhere. People are still buying them, though. Someone paid cash for that CD they're "sharing".

    The best way to force CD prices to drop is to stop buying CD's at those prices. Start putting some stores out of business.

    --
    -- Slashdot: When Public Access TV Says "No"
  14. What is next for the RIAA? by DiveX · · Score: 3, Interesting

    How long is it going to be now for RIAA to ask for legislative permission to use torpedoes and their own naval forces to take care of the 'pirate problem'? After all, if they can hack into your systems with full legal protection to go after the small fry traders, then shouldn't they have just as much power to go after the bigger violators? How long until we have a real RIAA Capt Nemo in a sub with anti-society crew members on a quest against the pirates of the world?

    --
    Cave, wreck, and deep diver.
  15. Re:Bring back Privateering. by Treeluvinhippy · · Score: 5, Interesting

    umm, privateers where pirates who held letters of marque. A letter of marque ment, when country A was at war with country B you can committ acts of piracy agaisnt country B and have a safe harbor to return (country A).

    Hehe, maybe Sony would be interested in allowing me to pirate cd's produced by Virgin records for example, as long as I don't touch anything produced by Sony. In exchange they will provide me with lawyers to legaly protect my ass. Well fat chance of that happening

    --
    >
  16. Holy L. Ron Hubbbard! by Catbeller · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Holy L. Ron! The pirates have taken a page from the Pope of Fugitives. Elron, founder of Scien*gy, spent, what, ten years at sea in a converted freighter (correct me here), for the sole purpose of not getting arrested on numerous warrants.

    I think I can see, like legal sheet lightning on the horizon, the copyright industry gearing up to remove the protection of international waters.

    Which is doubly amusing, since the Church of Scien*ology was one of the first instigators of digital copyright law change. Back in '91, I recall, they first tore after anon.penet.fi for relaying their "copyrighted" Xenu tracts. And in '95, when they were confiscating PC's for having "illegal" copies. And certainly when they helped out with the DMCA legislation.

    I just think it's funny, in a sad way. Round the circle we go. Now the copyright kings in RIAA et al. will set out after international water neutrality, seeking to to remove the protections that once saved the founder of one of the most litigious copyright abusing organizations.

    If the protection of the high seas is removed, as I posit, then there will be no place left to get away from the U.S.'s interpretation of intellectual property. No Switzerlands of the mind.