Manufacture of Pirated Compact Discs in Hong Kong

Compact discs (CDs) have gained popularity as a recording medium since the early 1980s. Owing to the low production cost and high profit margins, the medium has been a target for pirating by the clandestine “industry.” This paper briefly describes the manufacturing process of a compact disc, and the identification methods used to relate a pirated CD with the stampers, mold heads and printing screens found in the clandestine CD factory. Characteristic defects introduced during the various stages of the production process, namely, the molding, design and printing, all offer excellent potential for comparative examination.