YANGON, Myanmar — Complaints about pirate copies of movies and music focus on the profits lost by big media companies and artists from the United States and elsewhere in the West. But others are hurt, too.
One of Myanmar's most famous singers sees no point in producing a new album, and an accomplished movie director says it's nearly impossible to finance a film.
Besides struggling against the military government's tough rules, artists in Myanmar face a threat to their livelihood in the thriving outdoor markets on Yangon's streets. Plastic bins hold hundreds of pirated copies of locally produced movies, CDs and music videos — everything from Burmese rap and pop to comedies.
Customers get a choice. Legitimate DVDs and CDs displayed on the rickety tables are priced at around 2,000 kyat ($1.50), while pirate copies below the tables go for a fifth of that. Performers and producers say the pirate sales means they earn no money.
People are also reading…
"No one bothers to go to cinema halls," said San Shwe Maung, a director and producer who said counterfeit versions of local films are hurting the domestic movie industry. "Without piracy we would get a portion of each sale, but because of the piracy we don't get anything."
Producers' frustration with piracy has led to a steady decline in film production, San Shwe Maung and others said. Only a half-dozen films came out in the first six months of 2006, making it unlikely the year's production will match the 27 films produced in 2004, Maung said.
Few artists in Myanmar, also known as Burma, concern themselves with the losses that piracy inflicts on the big players like Hollywood and Microsoft. Their focus is on an absence of intellectual property rights protection that is slowly suffocating them.
"At the present … we only have a handful of albums released," said Nwe Yin Win, one of the country's most popular singers, who has done everything from Willie Nelson covers to Burmese hip-hop. "Even I don't dare to bring one out."
"These pirates are doing better than the producers," added Nwe Yin Win, best known by her stage name, Aunty Joyce. "I know certain producers who have changed their profession."
Hip-hop artist Tha Soe said he has given up trying to earn money from his music.
"I have six to eight CDs ready for production," he recently told the Myanmar-language Kumudra news weekly. "But I've decided not to do it for fear they'll fall into the hands of pirates. I'll put my songs on the Internet free of charge."
It is illegal to make, sell and buy pirated goods in Myanmar. But legislation on copyright is a mishmash of laws, some dating back to Britain's colonial rule. Experts say the laws need to be overhauled and modernized.
Those who work with the government concede existing enforcement does little to stop criminals from producing illegal CDs and DVDs.
"They pirate the product within hours — as soon as it comes out," said Myo Thant, an anti-piracy advocate and adviser on copyright issues to the Ministry of Information.
Last November, the World Trade Organization delayed a new regulatory framework for the least developed nations that need protections for trademarks, copyright, patents and other intellectual property. The implementation of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Agreement, known as TRIPS, was put off from 2006 until 2013.
It is now unclear if reforms will come anytime soon.
"I don't know exactly when we will begin to implement these laws," said Moe Moe Thwe, the deputy director of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the agency responsible for overseeing the country's new intellectual property laws.
Moe Moe Thwe said the central government has not given a timeline for their implementation.
Lots of other problems
Soaring unemployment is just one of the common complaints in Myanmar, where the average income is about $1,700 a year. People struggle to cope with inflation, frequent electricity blackouts and a military regime that defies international pressure for democratic reforms.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan issued a personal plea in May for the release of jailed democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace prize laureate, but the bid was rejected by the junta.
Ko Hla Htay, owner of Master Recording & Video Production, said music producers like himself want tougher regulations that will stop piracy from eating away at their profits. But Ko Hla Htay, who produces about 10 of the 100 music and karaoke videos that Myanmar puts out yearly, said producers had little real hope the rampant piracy will end soon.
"The government has tried to stop it, but they are too soft," he said.
