Twentieth Century Fox, Walt Disney, Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios Warner Brothers and Columbia Pictures teamed up to file two suits over 33 films.
BEIJING: Six Hollywood studios said Wednesday they had filed suit against Chinese firms for allegedly selling illegal copies of their movies, in a case aimed at curbing the rampant piracy of Western films in China.
More than 90 per cent of films sold in China on DVD are estimated to be pirate copies, the Motion Picture Association (MPA), an industry lobbying group, said in a statement announcing the suit.
Twentieth Century Fox, Walt Disney, Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios Warner Brothers and Columbia Pictures teamed up to file two suits over 33 films, including smash hits such as "Mr and Mrs Smith" and "The Incredibles."
"These civil actions seek damages for the willful copyright infringement of several of the plaintiffs’ works," said Frank Rittman, legal counsel for the MPA, adding that the complaint focused on evidence from this year and last.
"The mountain we are climbing is high, and the pirates are busy building the mountain higher every day," Rittman said.
"We need every tool -- strong laws to support copyright, strong enforcement of those laws, stiff sentences for people who violate those laws and most important, an understanding by ordinary people ... that buying pirated movies hurts the industry and makes it difficult for movie makers to make new films."
The suit seeks 1.98 million yuan (247,000 dollars) in damages from two Beijing retail shops reportedly owned by the Beijing Shiji Haihong Commerce and Trade Company.
According to Wang Bing, an intellectual property rights law expert at Tsinghua University, the legal action reflects a shift in the way overseas film companies are seeking to protect their rights in China, the China Daily said.
Previously they filed complaints with the government in what was seen as an effort to avoid lengthy trials and low compensation from the courts, Wang said.
China produces some 70 per cent of the world's counterfeit goods, according to experts, with pirated music and video discs as well as all manner of fake brand-named products widely available.
About 45 per cent of the media publications bought by Chinese consumers in 2005 -- including books, films, music CDs and software -- were pirated, state press said last month.
The government has increasingly voiced a willingness to stamp out widespread piracy, while recent court cases have also ruled in favor of foreign companies.
In April, luxury accessories maker Louis Vuitton won a lawsuit against a Chinese market that failed to stop the sale of fake handbags. It was awarded 150,000 yuan in compensation.
"The compensation these companies are asking for is not a lot compared to the costs, like lawyers' fees and the costs of collecting the evidence," said Wu Jian, an intellectual property rights lawyer in Shanghai.
"But this shows the court and the government that these companies are earnest in addressing this problem and are determined to take action to protect their rights."
If the court rules in favour of the film studios, then this will bring further pressure on the pirates as well as the government to take firmer action, Wu said.
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