IPR Update: Police Raids Continue

UNCLAS JAKARTA 003843

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E.O. 12598: N/A
TAGS: KIPR ETRD WTO ID
SUBJECT: IPR Update: Police Raids Continue

REF: A. JAKARTA 3296


B. JAKARTA 3531


1. (SBU) Summary: Metropolitan Jakarta police conducted
more than 200 raids on optical disc vendors in February
2006, arresting 145 individuals and seizing large quantities
of pirated optical disks. While Jakarta police have not
detained most small street vendors very long, 18 individuals
remain in custody, including one factory owner. The
Ministry of Industry is producing what it hopes will be a
more comprehensive report on Government of Indonesia (GOI)
IPR enforcement and awareness efforts, hopefully the week of
March 27. Our IPR The police's recent enforcement actions
demonstrate the most serious and sustained IPR enforcement
effort in many years in Indonesia. End Summary.

Police Step up IPR Raids
--------------


2. (SBU) A local Motion Picture Association (MPA)
representative provided us on March 21 with detailed
Indonesian police reports of 211 pirate optical disk mall
and street vendor raids the Jakarta police conducted during
February 2006. During the raids, police arrested 145
individuals and seized more than 200,000 pirated film and
music DVDs, CDs, VCDs and MP3s. Details are as follows:

-- Jakarta Metro: 9 raids, 10 arrests, 48,600 seized ODs;
-- Central Jakarta: 11 raids, 11 arrests, 9,300 seized ODs;
-- North Jakarta: 16 raids, 30 arrests, 43,200 seized ODs;
-- West Jakarta: 7 raids, 6 arrests, 5,700 seized ODs;
-- South Jakarta: 15 raids, 22 arrests, 23,300 seized ODs;
-- East Jakarta: 37 raids, 31 arrests, 13,700 seized ODs;
-- Tangerang: 16 raids, 17 arrests, 4,500 seized ODs;
-- Bekasi: 18 raids, 39 arrests, 28,100 seized ODs;
-- Depok: 18 raids, 45 arrests, 25,900 seized ODs.


3. (SBU) Jakarta Metropolitan Police (Metropolda) Special
Crimes Chief Investigator Umar Surya Fana, a UPSTO0-trained
Embassy contact, told us that in many cases police only
detain small vendors for one evening to frighten them, but
hold larger vendors longer while the police review their
cases for possible submission to the prosecutors. He said
Metropolda currently is detaining 18 persons for IPR
violations, including the owner of factories raided on
February 9 (Ref A) and March 8 (see para 4). He added that
the impetus behind recent raids is Indonesia Police Chief
Sutanto's late December directive to all regional police
chiefs to step up IPR enforcement.


4. (SBU) A regional IFPI recording industry representative
now working in Jakarta informed us on March 23 that police
raided a registered factory on March 8 in Tangerang where
they found evidence that its 1 DVD and 2 CD lines were
producing pirated material. The industry representative was
reluctant to share too many details, as an investigation
continues into links to exports to Australia and a regional
crime syndicate. The representative told us that as far as
he was aware, police have closed and sealed off the factory.

GOI Compiling IPR Progress Report
--------------


5. (SBU) Meanwhile, Ministry of Industry Director and
Optical Disc Factory Monitoring Team Head Tony Tanduk told
us he is compiling a report of all recent GOI IPR
enforcement and awareness programs. He said he hoped to
present it to the Embassy early the week of March 27.
According to Tanduk, the GOI has much to report, including
the recent police raids. He admitted that he finds it
difficult to obtain information from other agencies,
especially when they did not have it readily available.


6. (SBU) Comment: Although much remains to be done, our
contacts in the IPR industry believe the Jakarta police
reports demonstrate the most serious and sustained IPR
enforcement campaign in many years. They agree that the
prime motivating factor has been General Sutanto's December
directive. Of particular note is the breadth of the raids,
which are apparently also occurring in other areas of
Indonesia, and are not just occurring at the three Jakarta
shopping malls listed in the USG May 2005 IPR action plan.
PASCOE