Pirates level up: Raid yields bootleg digital books

The Optical Media Board (OMB) has seized over a thousand DVDs and CDs containing bootleg copies of digital books in a recent raid in Manila’s university belt.

In an operation conducted on Friday, OMB agents raided several establishments on P. Paredes Street in Sampaloc which were allegedly engaged in the unauthorized reproduction and sale of digital copies of books in violation of the Optical Media Act of 2003.

OMB insiders said it was the first time for the agency to crack down on peddlers of digital books. The total value of the seized materials was still being determined as of Wednesday since one disc can contain dozens of book titles, they said.

The raid was prompted by a complaint from the Association of American Publishers (AAP), the leading national trade association for the US book and journal publishing industry.

AAP represents some 300 companies that publish commercial, educational, professional and scholarly works in the US and other countries.

Investigation revealed that several establishments on P. Paredes had been engaged in large-scale photocopying and digital format conversions of entire books, and in the storage of multiple copies of numerous books on the same optical disc.

Lawyer Cyrus Paul Valenzuela, officer in charge at the executive director’s office of the OMB, said those engaged in the unauthorized digital duplication of film, music, software, games and books, face imprisonment, fines, and closure of their businesses.

Valenzuela stressed that the OMB’s authority is not limited to movie DVDs since the Optical Media Act gives it the power to regulate optical media in general, regardless of content.

The official called on business owners who produce or sell any form of optical media to work closely with the OMB to avoid penalties.

According to Lui Simpson, AAP executive director for international enforcement, book piracy remains a significant problem worldwide.

The unauthorized reproduction of books and journals, in hard copy and digital formats, causes substantial harm to publishers and affects costs to consumers and quality of content, Simpson said.