KUALA LUMPUR: Persatuan Karyawan Malaysia (Karyawan - The Malaysian Artists Association) is disappointed that irresponsible parties have been found to be making easy profits by selling 6,500 songs in the form of USB flash drives for only RM40 without getting permission from copyright holders.
Its President, Datuk Freddie Fernandez, said that the act is considered music piracy that violates the Copyright Act and cannot be taken lightly.
"If allowed to continue, it will have adverse effects on the music industry and undermine the income of artists and composers who are active in the industry," he said in a media statement today.
According to him, the association has filed an official report via email to the Intellectual Property Enforcement Division of the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) for further action.
He said that the association wants the authorities to take immediate action to curb and prevent this illegal activity from continuing.
Previously, a handful of parties were accused of selling and promoting USBs containing 6,500 songs through social media and online shopping platforms.
It is understood that this form of illegal activity has been widespread for quite some time.
“We hope the authorities will act fast to prevent this form of daylight robbery as soon as possible, and make these irresponsible people pay dearly in the form of harsh punishments for their actions,” Fernandez added.
