Lim sets deadline for hawkers of pirated discs

MANILA, Philippines -Mayor Alfredo Lim said yesterday he has given all vendors in Manila selling pirated digital video discs, video compact discs, and compact discs to sell, return to the source or dispose of all their merchandise by the end of the month or else face arrest and criminal charges.

Lim said Quiapo which was recently named by the Washington-based Office of the US Trade Representative as among the world’s 21 most “notorious markets” for pirated and counterfeit items.

Lim said by July 1, the Manila Police District and city hall operatives, who were deputized by the Optical Media Board, will start arresting sellers of pirated discs.

Almost all of those engaged in the sale of pirated discs in Quiapo are Muslims who fled the war-torn areas in the Mindanao region. For humanitarian reasons, Lim said he allowed the Muslim vendors to continue selling pirated discs until end of the month even if they are violating the law.

He encouraged them to shift to doing something legal like selling merchandise from Mindanao in Manila, saying many foreigners and locals like to buy products from Mindanao.

Through the Intellectual Property Office, Lim said, the city government will offer them loans from banks for their “seed capital” to start a legitimate business.