Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry enforcement officers have seized RM150,000 worth of equipment, computers and TV sets used for a paid digital karaoke service in Kuala Lumpur because of the use of pirated software.

The ministry’s Intellectual Property Unit Director, Iskandar Halim Sulaiman, said the seizure was made under the “Ops Tulen Muzik II” raid by the enforcement team at about 1.10 p.m. Thursday at an entertainment business outlet at the Pertama Complex in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman.

He said the outlet was believed to be carrying out its business of offering song request services for paid digital karaoke songs using pirated software, adding that unauthorised copying of digital data and songs was also prohibited.

The jukebox karaoke operator may face a whopping RM29 million in fines if he’s found to have used unauthorised digital copies of karaoke recordings.

People have been paying RM1 per song over the past two months to sing to their heart’s delight using pirated software.

Click here for the full Bernama article.

Click here for the full Malay Mail article.

Click here for the full New Straits Times article.

Posted by: David Oh on 22/10/2005 11:55:59 PM