Hollywood Studios File DVD Piracy Suit in Beijing

Film companies on Thursday filed suit against two Beijing retailers of allegedly pirated material, seeking 60,000 renminbi (US$7,550) per pirated title, the Motion Picture Association (MPA) said.

The lawsuits are filed against the Feng He Ri Li and Yu Hao Qing retail companies, the MPA said. The plaintiffs are Columbia Pictures Industries, Disney Enterprises, Paramount Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox Film, Universal City Studios and Warner Bros. Entertainment.

The suits are being heard by the Beijing First Intermediate People’s Court and the Beijing Second Intermediate People’s Court, the MPA said. An MPA representative in Hong Kong said 21 member titles were involved in the suit.

The MPA said both retailers have been raided by the Beijing Copyright Bureau and Beijing and Chaoyang District Police for selling pirated DVDs in the past. In May, police seized 13,000 pirated DVDs from Feng He Ri Li alone, the MPA said.

The MPA is the international arm of the Motion Picture Association of America, which represents the commercial interests of U.S. film and production studios, including encouraging antipiracy efforts overseas.

-Steven Schwankert, IDG News Service (Beijing Bureau)

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