Schoolboy Arrested in Hong Kong For Selling Pirated Windows 7

A Hong Kong schoolboy has been arrested for allegedly selling pirated copies of the newly-released Windows 7 software over the internet, customs officials said Wednesday.

The 18-year-old was caught by undercover officers who discovered he had taken 25 online orders for the software at 300 Hong Kong dollars ($38.7) each.

Buyers were asked to pay money into a local bank account and then given a hyperlink to download the pirated Windows 7 N-Series software, investigators said.

Genuine copies of the new Windows 7 software cost between around $130 and $376, according to prices quoted on Microsoft websites.

Customs officials posed as buyers, placed an order and then raided the flat of the boy’s family in the city’s Ma On Shan district after the money had been paid in, a customs spokesman said.

Two computers were seized from the schoolboy’s bedroom. He faces a jail term of up to four years, or a fine of up to 50,000 Hong Kong dollars ($6,450) if convicted of copyright offences.

He was released on bail while investigations continue and is expected to appear in court to be charged at a later date, the spokesman said.

Hong Kong used to be notorious for pirated CDs, DVDs and software but customs officials have cracked down heavily on copyright abuse in recent years, shutting down hundreds of shops selling pirated discs.

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