Row over senior US trade official who bought illegal Die Another Day pirated DVD

14-Jan-2003 • Die Another Day

According to the Associated Press, The Philippines government Monday criticized a senior U.S. trade official who last week bought pirated movies at a shopping mall to highlight the extent of copyright violations in this Southeast Asian country.

Foreign Secretary Blas Ople said the actions of William Lash III, the U.S. assistant secretary of commerce for market access and compliance, were "melodramatic" and "regrettable and totally uncalled for."

"He made purchases in Manila that could easily be made in midtown Manhattan or downtown Los Angeles," Ople said in a statement issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Lash toured a mall in suburban San Juan, known as a haven for cheap pirated CDs and DVD movies. He said he wanted to show how easy it is to find pirated products.

He showed journalists copies of five DVD movies he bought for less than $2 each, including "Die Another Day".

Lash`s behavior was "highly questionable and are actions that we would not expect from a (representative of a) friendly country," Ople said.

He acknowledged that intellectual property rights violations occur in the Philippines but said officials were making an effort to eradicate piracy, but added that "we cannot turn things around overnight."

Lash said Friday that the Philippines would likely remain on a U.S. list of countries where there are rampant violations of intellectual property rights.