Convicted pirates disappear in China

December 21, 2006 The convicts in an important film copyright violation case have disappeared, a Beijing court official said Wednesday, highlighting the difficulty of cracking down on rampant DVD piracy here and leaving the plaintiffs, five Hollywood studios, with little chance of collecting the costs and damages awarded. The MPA, representing the studios, mounted the case in August and on Tuesday declared the verdict and the $20,964 in costs and damages awarded a "milestone" and evidence that its increased efforts to fight piracy alongside Chinese officials are paying off (HR 12/19). Each plaintiff was to receive 20,000 yuan ($2,560) to cover legal fees and 4,000 yuan ($512) for each of its movie titles stolen and reproduced on illegal DVDs.

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