Two American citizens face up to 15 years in jail if a Shanghai court finds them guilty of selling pirated DVDs, Chinese media have reported.
Chinese authorities received from a tip from the U.S. Embassy in Beijing about two Americans, based in Shanghai, who were believed to be shipping counterfeit DVDs to more than 20 countries including the United States, Australia, Britain and Canada.
The suspected ringleader, Guthrie Randolph Hobson III, was arrested in July 2004 and charged with selling more than 180,000 fake DVDs via the Internet, valued at $840,000.
China Daily quoted a judge from the Shanghai No. 2 Intermediate People's Court as saying four defendants, two Americans and two Chinese accomplices, face 15 years imprisonment if convicted.
The State Office of Intellectual Property Rights Protection said the case was one of the top 10 IPR violations in China in 2004.
According to court documents, hundreds of thousands of pirated disks, receipts for mailing packages as well as computers were seized from Hobson's residence.
Codefendants Abram Cody Thrush, Wu Dong and Wu Junbiao were charged with aiding and abetting the illegal operation.
Story source:
washingtontimes.com.
