Biggest Malaysian Pirate Lab Busted by Authorities

November 19, 2007 7:52 a.m. EST

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (AHN) - Leading only on a tip from an unidentified informant, Malaysian authorities discovered an optical disc burning laboratory, as announced Monday. The lab, which was located in a suburb near the capital, was identified to have been the biggest one in the entire country.

The raid, which was carried out last Friday, involved 20 officers from the Malaysian ministry of domestic trade and consumer affairs. The operation was backed by the Malaysian Federation against Copyright Theft.

The raid resulted in the arrest of four people, and the apprehension of 340 optical disc burners, making it the largest disc burning bust of the year for the authorities.

"The burners could have produced 18 million pirated discs per year," explained the Motion Picture Association regional director Mike Ellis. He added to say that pirated discs of that number could have brought in "a potential revenue of 52 million ringgit."

Ellis furthered to identify the laboratory to have been a major supplier of pirated discs, providing the stocks of vendors found on the streets of the Klang Valley, as reported by the Agence France-Presse.

The MPA, together with the Entertainment Software Association, recently launched an anti-piracy initiative, as a response to the situation of Malaysia as "a nation of concern" in the piracy prevention movement.

"Operation Games Attack," which was launched October 30 of this year, instigated an increase in the enforcement activities for the prevention of piracy in the country. It also provided politicians with a run-through of the country's current piracy situation, and taught how to properly identify authentic products of ESA member companies.

"We are proud to partner with MPA on this program which will protect investment, innovation, and job creation - as well as build a strong foundation for expanded trade with Malaysia," said ESA president Michael Gallager, as quoted by a news article on the website 1Up.com.