Customs combat sale of game circumvention devices and infringing game consoles, arresting two

Hong Kong Customs announced on Friday that they have seized a batch of suspected game circumvention devices and suspected infringing game consoles with a market value of about HK$1 million and arrested two men in a nine-day operation to combat online sales of illegal gaming goods. 

Customs announced today that they had conducted a nine-day special operation between August 14 and 22 to combat the online sale of game circumvention devices and infringing game consoles.

Through carrying out cyber patrols and conducting analyses using a big-data analytics system, Customs earlier found that sellers were utilizing social media and online marketplaces to sell suspected game circumvention devices and suspected infringing game consoles.

After an in-depth investigation and with the assistance of the copyright owner, customs officers disguised themselves as customers to conduct online test purchases and took enforcement action.

A commercial unit in Kwun Tong and a residential unit in Tsuen Wan were raided, and the batch of suspected game circumvention devices and suspected infringing game consoles were seized.

Customs officers from the Computer Forensic Laboratory were also summoned to the scene to support the operation.

Through on-site digital examination, more than 1,000 suspected infringing games were found on two computers connected with external storage media, which were used to process infringing games. 

A total of eight suspected circumvention devices, 640 sets of suspected infringing game consoles, about 200 SD cards containing suspected infringing games, and a batch of computer equipment with an estimated market value of about HK$1 million, were seized in the operation.

During the operation, two men, aged 28 and 41, were arrested. They were suspected of violating the Copyright Ordinance.

One of the arrestees was charged with the offense of breaching the conditions of stay, while the other arrestee was released on bail pending further investigation. 

The investigation is ongoing.