Edison Chen claims copyright of nude pics

Hong Kong singer and actor Edison Chen has asked local Customs to protect his copyright on hundreds of nude pictures that showed him in sexual poses with a dozen women in bed, the latest measure he has taken to prevent more leaks of the racy snaps amid a scandal that has shocked the world's Chinese-speaking community.

Chen reported to Hong Kong Customs on Friday through his lawyers that he suspected someone infringed his copyright on the pictures and demanded the authority carry out a criminal probe, Sina.com reported today.

Hong Kong law prescribes that people can get up to four years in prison along with a fine of HK$50,000 (US$7,611.74) if they are found to have copied art work for sales or renting without the producer's consent, the report said.

Chen, who returned to Hong Kong last Thursday, is now identified as a witness to cooperate with the police's ongoing investigation on the sex picture scandal that involved at least seven female celebrities.

The 27-year-old star will leave the city in about three days as soon as police finish his part of the investigation, the report said.

The Canada-born Chinese pledged to come back if necessary, the report said.

Police so far have found more than 1,500 nude pictures on Chen's laptop that was taken on Friday.

More than 800 of those pictures have been circulated on the Internet, creating a media frenzy and heated discussions on BBS communities both in Hong Kong and the mainland since it broke late in January.

The photos were said to have been leaked out to the public by employees of a computer-repair shop from a faulty laptop believed to belong to Chen.

Chen told more than 300 reporters at a news conference on Thursday that he decided to quit the Hong Kong entertainment industry after he finishes current projects. He also said he was "sorry to those ladies and their families" involved in the scandal and hoped he could receive "the public's forgiveness" and "a new chance."