Western film agents hit by piracy

Piracy cost American filmmakers in Asia Pacific more than US$896 million (HK$6.99 billion) in 2004, according to the Motion Picture Association, Asia Pacific.

Imports account for more than 60 percent of Hong Kong’s movie tastes. Revenue from non-Hong Kong films grew from US$64 million in 2001 to US$66 million in 2002.

US films make up 80 percent of that market, according to the US Commercial Service, which aids Americans in setting up businesses in Hong Kong.

But as piracy grows, movie dealers are becoming tentative in the market, according to dealers.

“Who it hurts in the end is the movie dealer,” said Rami Rivera Frankl, who runs Hobokenwest, a DVD technology company with experience in creating anti-piracy software.

He spoke at the forum that is being held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Small to medium-sized movie dealers are suffering the most because of “razor-thin profit margins,” Frankl said.

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