plaintiff:
- HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION
defendant:
- CHAN NAI MING
jurisdiction_code: null
jurisdiction_name: null
case_location:
- 香港特別行政區
- Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
case_reason: >-
  Plaintiff seeks protection against defendant's criminal infringement of copyright, seeking deterrent-based
  sentencing to prevent future piracy.
case_object:
- copyright
judgment_result:
- charge: Sentence for BitTorrent distribution (liability issue)
  result: Imposed. The defendant was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment, concurrent on each charge.
    The court emphasized the need for deterrence and warned future offenders that sentences could be more
    severe.
judgment_summary: >-
  The plaintiff sought protection against the defendant's copyright infringement via BitTorrent distribution.
  The court sentenced the defendant to three months' imprisonment for each charge, emphasizing deterrence
  and citing principles from Secretary for Justice v Choi Sai-lok [1999] 4 HKC 334. The court assessed
  the seriousness of the offense based on harm caused rather than commercial gain, warning against diluting
  the firm approach towards copyright piracy.
involved_entities:
- entity_name: Colin Mackintosh, Magistrate
  reason: Presiding judge in this case, responsible for fact-finding and adjudication.
- entity_name: Choi Sai-lok
  reason: Served as a defendant in the case Secretary for Justice v Choi Sai-lok [1999] 4 HKC 334, articulated
    principles related to intellectual property rights infringement, cited in paragraph 2 of this judgment.
- entity_name: Secretary for Justice
  reason: Party involved in the case Secretary for Justice v Choi Sai-lok [1999] 4 HKC 334, which provided
    foundational principles for sentencing policy regarding intellectual property rights infringement.
