Jackie Chan to issue anti-piracy message through fridge magnets

HONG KONG -- Jackie Chan is taking the fight against movie piracy to your home refrigerator.

Two movie industry groups plan to issue 200,000 refrigerator magnets bearing Chan's image and an anti-piracy message to buyers of authentic DVDs in China, where piracy is rampant.

The message says, "Thank you for purchasing legitimate DVDs. Your action determines the future of the film industry," Hollywood industry group MPA said in a statement seen Tuesday.

MPA is organizing the campaign with the China Film Copyright Protection Association.

The magnets will be given to buyers of the Hollywood movies "Perfect Stranger," "The Bourne Ultimatum" and "No Reservations" at supermarkets, bookstores, retail shops and online vendors, MPA said in the statement dated Monday.

The MPA says more than 90 percent of DVDs in China are pirated and estimates that piracy in the country cost American studios US$244 million (£á166.4 million) and Chinese studios US$2.4 billion (£á1.6 billion) in lost potential box office revenue in 2005.

Beijing has increased penalties for product piracy and stepped up enforcement under foreign pressure. But the MPA and other industry groups say piracy is growing faster than enforcement, driven by China's explosive economic growth.