Customs officers have arrested three men and a woman after seizing 203 parallel-import DVDs worth $5,000.

The two shop owners and two shop assistants, aged 20 to 67, were arrested during raids on four shops in Sham Shui Po and Tsuen Wan October 6. They have been released bail.

The Copyright (Amendment) Ordinance 2007 came into force on July 6 last year. Under the amended ordinance it is a crime to sell, hire or distribute parallel imported copies of any copyright work (except computer software products) for profit; or import parallel imported copies of any copyright work (except software) for dealing in the copies if this is done within 15 months from the date the copyright work was first published anywhere in the world.