Americans face DVD piracy trial

Two US citizens went on trial in Shanghai accused of selling almost US$1m worth of pirated DVDs to overseas buyers via the Internet. The two men, arrested last July, are standing trial alongside two alleged Chinese accomplices. If found guilty the accused could face up to 15 years in jail, state media reported. The trial comes as China endeavors to show it is stepping up its enforcement of intellectual property protection, under pressure from the Bush administration. Reports quoted court officials as saying the four on trial are accused of selling more than 180,000 pirated movies via eBay and other websites to buyers in at least 25 countries. According to the Shanghai Daily, one of the Americans told the court: "I bought the DVDs from licensed stores, so I took it for granted that they were legal copies."