The US State Department has hailed Hong Kong's efforts in combating piracy and protecting intellectual property rights.

The US-Hong Kong Policy Act Report released by the US government today says Hong Kong has made significant progress in fighting optical disc piracy and counterfeiting.

The Commerce, Industry & Technology Bureau welcomed the comments and pledged to keep up the fight.

On the report's concern about business-related end-use piracy, the bureau said that since the commencement of the end-user criminal liability in 2001, Customs has been working closely with copyright owners to take the fullest enforcement action.

Based on complaints received, Customs has mounted 107 operations since the provision came into effect, in which 76 companies were found to have breached the Copyright Ordinance, and seeing 147 people arrested. Twenty-four cases have been prosecuted so far leading to 28 people or companies being fined or imprisoned.