HONG KONG - A PIRATE'S ISLAND?

For the casual tourist who comes to Hong Kong, he'll be undoubtedly amazed by the sheer number of pirated goods available in this ex-British colony. Most of these goods are imported illegally from mainland China, but there are also many factories within Hong Kong's borders that mass-produce millions of pirated goods to be sold throughout the region at very cheap prices.

For why is the pirated market so huge, and why are the authorities so unable to stop the flow? The answer is simple: Everyone wants cheap goods, and if you can get a copy of an original for a tenth of the price, would you be tempted? Most would. It is not simply a battle against ethics and morals, most common people just cannot afford to purchase expensive goods (computer software, for example), and these copies are the only option for the financially handicapped.

The distribution of pirated goods in the SAR is mostly governed by Triads and other organised crime. Vendors are in their hundreds or thousands littered throughout shopping malls in Hong Kong, and sometimes whole shopping centres are catered for pirated goods. In a country like the United Kingdom, where piracy is stamped upon heavily by all forces of the government, in Hong Kong, the duty rests solely with Customs. With limited manpower and resources, it is difficult for Customs to stop the flow of pirated goods. Shut down one vendor, and in a week's time, the place will be open again for business. It is also not in the police's jurisdiction to stop piracy, which I think is a policy the government should re-evaluate.

I do not condone piracy, but I do understand why people buy it. Most people don't care one way or the other. You could argue that one of the biggest reasons why piracy is so rampant is because of its accessibility. If these goods were solely limited to underground stores in seedy districts where most people would not even venture, then it'll be hard business. But that is not the case. Piracy is seen everywhere, and it is hard not to walk by a shop or a stall during a day's routine travel that does not sell pirated goods.

Although a variety of goods are pirated, the biggest market of pirated goods is definitely in entertainment, namely movies, music, games, and computer software. All the latest films (sometimes before it is even released at the cinema), music CDs, and all the latest games are usually available. Imagine yourself purchasing the ten newest original PlayStation 2 games. How much would that set you back? Roughly US$500. But imagine paying less than US$20 for ten games. Tempting, isn't it? The same applies to DVDs, PC software, music etc.

PC software is even more a temptation, and is the biggest money-loser for software companies around the globe. Imagine paying less than US$5 for the latest version of Adobe Photoshop, or other high profile software such as Dreamweaver, Director, Premiere, QuarkXpress, Office etc. Even copy-proof software, like what Microsoft had boasted about its Windows XP, are not exempt. Windows XP was copied and sold before the original was even stacked on the shelves.

However, one of the pitfalls when buying pirated software is the uncertainty of what the person is getting. The disc jacket does not always tell the truth, and the CD may hold one or two surprises, such as the program will not install, or the program is not there at all, or what it does include is maybe just a beta or demo version. These are the risks that people take when buying these goods. And many people are afraid to take defected goods back for exchange as Joe Public would not dare confront Triads, so organised crime wins no matter what.

Because of the proliferation of cheap CD-burning machines, bootleggers in Hong Kong and mainland China have tapped into a very lucrative market. They understand what drives the local people, and know that Joe Public would easily part with his cash for cheap products. With the police unable to help crack piracy, the Triads are basically handed a bottomless goldmine.

When a whole shopping centre is devoted to selling pirated goods, then you know there is obviously a problem with the government system. Unless a special force is implemented, like the FACT force in the UK, piracy will be a major headache for the government in years to come, and it will have a huge impact on local business and international distributors.