November 23, 2005

Pirated 'Harry Potter' already selling in Beijing

Just days after "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" premiered on the big screen, pirated versions of the new movie went on sale for about $1 from street hawkers in Beijing.

The movie debuted last Thursday in Beijing and Shanghai. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, in Shanghai on a trade mission, walked down the red carpet to attend the premier.

Theaters in China began showing Harry Potter's latest adventure at the same time as those in North America, in part to thwart pirates. Tickets sold for about $7.

Before the screening, in a short public service announcement, Schwarzenegger appeared on a motorcycle alongside actor Jackie Chan urging people not to buy pirated DVDs. Buying fake DVDs is like giving money to criminals, they said.

President Bush also made protection of intellectual property a key theme of his recent state visit to China.

But as the Terminator talked tough on intellectual property rights, pirates wasted no time getting the goods.

Street sellers, who kept a low profile while the guests were in town, came out in force again by Tuesday.

They were selling a slickly packaged DVD with a full-color, glossy paper cover and description in English and Chinese. But the wording revealed the copycats’ haste.

A message at the bottom of the package was filled with typographical errors:

"Fedral law provides severe civil and criminal penalties for the unauthorized reproduxtion distribution or exhibition of copyinghted motion picture videotapes."

Yet some good news for Hollywood could be found in the mix. China evidently has demand for both kinds of movies.

On Saturday evening, a theater showing the Harry Potter movie in Beijing's university district was packed full of paying customers.

Posted by Kristi Heim at November 23, 2005 09:14 AM

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