KUALA LUMPUR – An individual was charged and sentenced at the sessions court here over charges of copyright infringement by selling TV boxes preloaded with unauthorised Astro content.
The man, Tiew Ai Teng, 38, was given the option of paying a RM20,000 fine or serving a two-month jail term, as allowed under Section 43AA of the Copyright Act 1987.
Tiew, who pleaded guilty to the charges against him, paid the fine.
According to a statement by Astro Malaysia’s Communications Department, he was accused of committing the offence on June 29, 2022 at an outlet in the EkoCheras Mall here.
He is said to have been in possession of five Android TV Boxes preloaded with unauthorised content.
The law in question criminalises committing or facilitating copyright infringement by manufacturing, importing, selling, or letting for hire, distributing, or offering to the public a streaming technology.
The law also states that those convicted can be fined up to RM200,000, imprisoned for up to 20 years, or both.
In its statement, Astro recalled previous instances of legal actions against piracy and copyright infringement, including the case on April 3 this year of a 22-year-old being fined by the magistrate’s court here for possession of an unauthorised link to a popular local TV drama series on his devices.
Besides that, on April 5, two individuals were also charged at the sessions court here for selling TV boxes with unauthorised Astro content while on April 13, another two individuals were fined RM14,000 by the Kluang magistrate’s court over similar charges.
Astro also commended the government for gazetting the Copyright (Amendment) Act 2022 on February 10 last year, with the then Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry subsequently implementing the law on March 18.
“The key impact of the amendment is the criminalisation of the sale of illicit streaming devices and associated software applications that allow unauthorised access to copyright content,” the statement said.
It added that the public is reminded to channel information on piracy activities to the current Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry through its hotline 1-800-886-800 or 03-8882 6088 at the Enforcement Command Centre, WhatsApp at 019-279 4317, email to [email protected] or via EzADU app. – The Vibes, June 16, 2023
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