MUMBAI: 866,000 pirated optical discs suspected of having been manufactured in a licensed Hong Kong optical disc factory were seized in an operation by the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department’s Intellectual Property Investigation Bureau (IPIB) near the border with mainland China.

The seized discs, with an estimated street value of US$1.8 million, were bearing Source Identification (SID) codes indicating that they had been manufactured in a licensed optical disc factory in Hong Kong’s Shatin District, says a release.

In a raid on 21 March 2007 on the factory, IPIB officers, accompanied by Motion Pictures Association investigators, seized 174 optical disc stampers and 32 silk screens, arresting the factory manager, the release adds.

“The continued efforts of the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department send a clear message that Hong Kong is committed to the fight against intellectual property theft,” says MPA’s senior vice president and regional director Mike Ellis.