​Hong Kong Customs conducted an enforcement operation in Tung Chung yesterday (November 24) to combat infringing activity involving a restaurant using an illegal streaming device to broadcast live football matches in the course of business. A batch of illegal streaming device, audio-visual equipment and network equipment, with a total estimated market value of about $18,000, was seized. This is the first time since the implementation of the Copyright (Amendment) Ordinance 2022 that Customs has applied "communication right" to detect cases of unauthorised communication of live football matches to the public by restaurants in the course of business.
Customs earlier received information from a copyright owner alleging that certain restaurants were communicating live football matches to the public in the course of business, without the authorisation of the copyright owner. After a detailed investigation and with the assistance of the copyright owner, Customs officers yesterday took enforcement action during a live football match and raided a restaurant in Tung Chung. The batch of illegal streaming device, audio-visual equipment and network equipment was seized.
During the operation, two men, aged 27 and 57, were arrested. The investigation is ongoing.
Customs reminds business operators not to engage in unauthorised activities involving the dissemination of copyrighted works. Member of the public should also respect intellectual property rights and refrain from watching infringing works or pay-TV channels through any form of illegal streaming. Applications or streaming links related to illegal streaming may contain computer viruses or malicious programmes that can pose potential risks to users.
According to the Copyright Ordinance, it is illegal for anyone, without the authorisation of the copyright owner, to engage in any trade or business that involves communicating works to the public for profit or reward or, in the course of such trade or business, to communicate copyrighted works to the public; or to communicate copyrighted works to the public to an extent that damages the rights of the copyright owner. Upon conviction, the maximum penalty is imprisonment for four years and a fine of $50,000 for each copyrighted work.
Members of the public may report any suspected infringement activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 1828080 or its dedicated crime reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).
Ends/Monday, November 25, 2024
