CASBAA crackdown takes final turn

Hong Kong - The Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) has made "substantial" out of court settlements with the remaining Lockhart Rd Wan Chai bars caught cheating the pay TV copyright regulations.

The two Lockhart Rd bars, The White Stag and the Devil's Advocate, have made undisclosed settlements with the pay TV association and will be forced to run letters of apology in the South China Morning Post and Apple Daily on Monday (17 December) as well as BC Magazine.

Earlier this year pay TV operator Hong Kong Cable Television (Cable TV) and football federation FIFA made similar out of court settlements with three Hong Kong bars for illegally broadcasting the 2006 FIFA World Cup football tournament in June last year.

The three Wan Chai bars - Carnegies, the Bridge and the Coyote Bar & Grill - were forced to issued a letter of apology to FIFA and Cable TV and pay legal costs worth around HK$2 million.

Simon Twiston Davies, CEO of CASBAA, said the latest settlement were good news for the industry, but he said the issue of illegal broadcasting of pay TV continues to dog the industry.

"We are very pleased with the outcome, this is confirmation that these venues understand that they have made serious copyright infringements," he said.

"But I'm sorry to say we will have to revisit this issue."

He said across the region pay TV piracy had reached US$1.5 billion and some US$30 million in Hong Kong alone.

"These pirates need to know we are on their trails and are serious about beating them," Davies added.

CASBAA has also been lobbying the Hong Kong SAR government to introduce legislation to criminalise copyright infringements, but as yet no legislation has been presented.

"A stronger commitment from SAR is where we want to be."