The government in Malaysia believes educating the public is the only way to tackle rampant piracy of CDs and DVDs.

Officials are launching a new drive against illegal copying after recognising draconian penalties and frequent raids on bootleggers are being undermined by persistent demand from consumers.

Politicians want an end to Malaysia's reputation as a hub for counterfeit discs, but factories without licences continue to manufacture them in large quantities.

Consumers want US pop but not at US prices

"No matter how harsh our penalties are, we will not succeed as long as our society does not realise the consequences of supporting pirated products," said Arshad Hashim, secretary general of the information ministry.

Launching the new anti-piracy campaign, he insisted the government was "confident" it would eventually gain the public's support to quash disc piracy.

But he admitted the sale of counterfeit discs was "increasingly rampant at marketplaces and street corners".

Police and officials have been told to enforce copyright laws more strictly and to make legitimate factories mark CDs with code numbers.

Malaysian authorities say they made 10,000 raids in the first six months of 2002.

Seizures amounted to about 19 million ringgit (�3.26m) worth of pirated discs, but officials know this is only a tiny fraction of the CDs produced illegally.

Convicted pirate CD dealers face up to three years in jail and a maximum fine of 10,000 ringgit (�1,714) per CD.

Artists disillusioned

But the local music industry has repeatedly demanded life imprisonment for the ringleaders.

Rosmin Hashim, of the Recording Industry Association of Malaysia, said music piracy was disillusioning talented new artists.

But he did not provide figures of the job layoffs they say is plaguing the industry.

Pirated music, movie and computer software's appeal is boosted by the high prices of legitimate copies in Malaysia.

Original DVDs of new Hollywood movies can cost 130 ringgit (�22.30), while pirated versions sell for 10 ringgit (�1.71).