Jakarta – As Indonesian authorities clamp down on pirated entertainment products, vendors' kiosks at a Jakarta shopping mall are forlornly empty. The sellers sit glum and idle.
"We sell only originals now," said Titi Badriah, pointing to DVDs selling for US$22 a piece. But minutes later, she was pushing a business card into the hands of a prospective customer, promising to deliver to his home pirated DVDs of "Matrix Reloaded" and "Finding Nemo" for US$3 each.
Indonesia, reportedly the third-largest market for pirated entertainment products after China and Vietnam, is under pressure to crack down on contraband. More than 80% of all CDs, VCDs, DVDs, computer software and videogame discs are illegal copies, industrial experts say.
A tough new law that took effect last week may improve Jakarta's standing with the US and other source countries of software and entertainment products. Governments from those countries have threatened harsh trade sanctions against Indonesia for tolerating continued violations of intellectual property rights.
A buyer of pirated computer software can be punished with up to five years in prison or a US$61,000 fine. But it's early days yet for the law, and vendors said they are skeptical whether it will be implemented aggressively.
"Whenever there is a demand, I am sure there will be sellers," Badriah said, adding that foreign visitors are some of her best buyers. "They buy dozens of disks. They go home carrying plastic bags packed with them."
In the past, Indonesian authorities have regularly raided vendors' stalls in Jakarta's commercial Glodok district.
But the notoriously corrupt police usually returned seized goods after "negotiations" and "settlement money" was paid, vendors said. The sellers would usually be back in their stalls and operating normally a week or two after the raids.
"It's a cat-and-mouse game," said Harris Simanjuntak, 27, as he sat next to his plywood stall displaying cheap VCDs and music CDs at a busy downtown open market.
The more expensive DVDs were stashed in instant noodle boxes a few meters away. "We have a guarantee from the police that they won't target poor people like us. They are going after the large producers and distributors," said Harris, who can earn US$80 on a good day – far more than the average US$2 a day wage in Indonesia.
Police spokesman Prasetyo said police were aware that many unemployed people from the capital's poor areas earn a living from piracy. He said authorities feared that violent protests could erupt if they target small-time vendors.
"We don't want to risk riots," he said. "Besides it's more effective to cut the supply from the distributors." Simanjuntak said legal jobs are hard to find amid Indonesia's current economic doldrums. "Every job has its risks," Simanjuntak said. "I know it's illegal, but at least it is better than mugging people."