Enforcement agencies have seized more than RM100 million worth of pirated VCDs and software since April 1999, the Domestic Trade and Consumers Affairs Ministry reported today.

In a written answer to Fong Poh Kuan, the DAP member of Parliament for Batu Gajah, at the Dewan Rakyat this morning, the ministry stated that the number of cases charged under various relevant acts from April 1, 1999 to July 8 this year totalled 9,461.

"During that time, we took action against 487 offenders under the Copyright Act 1987 alone with goods seizured amounting to RM56 million. Forty-five cases were brought to court and the offenders were fined a total of RM51,000. Another 442 cases are still pending in the court," the ministry said.

It added that action was also taken against the offenders under other relevant Acts such as the Optical Disc Act 2000, Price Control Act 1946 and the Film (Censorship) Act 1952.

The ministry's special task force, together with the police, the Home ministry (Censorship Unit), the National Film Corporation (Finas), the Customs Department and local authorities conducted 33,661 raids on various traders throughout that period, it said.

The raids were mostly on video rental shops (9,908), night market traders (9,588), shopping malls (5,895), five-foot path traders (4,798) and food stalls (2,007).

From Jan 1 to July 8 this year, the agencies conducted 12,742 raids and seized more than RM14.5 million worth of pirated VCDs and softwares, said the ministry.