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| 500,000 DVDs seized in UK's biggest counterfeit operation Around half a million counterfeit DVDs have been seized by Manchester City Council trading standards officers during a raid on a suspected distribution centre. The haul is one of the largest ever of its kind in the UK, with the street value of the discs totalling £1.5m. Read more . . . Confiscated DVD players donated to children's hospital The Starship Children’s Hospital in Auckland, New Zealand, received dozens of DVD players, used to make pirated copies of movies, forfeited by order of the court following the conviction of a counterfeiter. Read more . . . UK's biggest DVD counterfeiter gets 3-year jail term The man behind Britain's biggest-ever domestic pirate CD and DVD racket was jailed for 38 months yesterday, John Croy, 61, was branded the Mr Big of counterfeiters after he was caught with almost £400,000 worth of dodgy discs, reports Scottish newspaper Daily Record. Read more . . . £900,000 DVD/CD scam discovered A master forger faced jail this week over a near-£900,000 DVD and CD scam uncovered by Wolverhampton Trading Standards officers in the UK. He illegally copied almost 30,000 game, film, music and business software discs and sold them through a website and at computer fairs in the Midlands and North West of England. Read more . . . Pirated DVDs of Indian movies seized in Brussels Belgium custom officials have seized 50,000 DVDs of Indian films worth Rs16.5 million (€246,000) at Brussels airport. Acting on a tip-off by the Shemaroo Entertainment with the local distributor and Stitching Indian Films and Music (SIFAM), officials seized the consignment of DVDs at the airport Friday. Read more . . . Two-year jail term for illegal DVD warehouse 'shopkeeper' A man working in an illegal DVD ‘warehouse’ in London, is behind bars after the court heard that 36,000 pirate and 7,000 hardcore pornographic DVDs were found there with a total street value of about £90,000. Read more . . . Police shut down computer server in Prague Czech police have shut down a computer server being used to illegally store and upload large amounts of copyright infringing music and film onto the internet. Read more . . . £750,000 worth of equipment seized at pirate DVD factory A massive counterfeit DVD factory in a home in Edinburgh, Scotland, has been smashed by police who seized £750,000 worth of counterfeit goods. Computers were being used to produce thousands of fake titles to be sold around pubs, offices and homes in the city. Read more . . . eBay moves to tackle counterfeit DVD sales In response to NOP research published in 2007 that suggested that 9% of UK adults had mistakenly bought fake DVDs believing them to be the real thing, the online auction site eBay has linked with UK anti-piracy body the Industry Trust for IP Awareness to educate its users about fake DVDs. Read more . . . £5m Czech-made, UK-bound illegal CD business stopped Four pirate CD traders were today convicted for running a £5 million illegal operation that imported copyright-infringing CDs from the Czech Republic and sold them in shops and stalls across South East England. The court found all four defendants guilty of conspiring to defraud the music industry. Read more . . . Wales CD/DVD counterfeiter gets 4-year jail sentence Wales counterfeiter is latest to receive heavy jail sentencing as a result of 'Operation Buzzard', a joint enforcement operation involving Trading Standards Departments, North Wales Police and representatives of MCPS, FACT and ELSPA. Other operations in Manchester and London netted quantities of illegal discs. Read more . . . More dogs join DVD sniffing task force in Malaysia DVD pirates in Malaysia should be shaking in their boots as it is being reported that two more sniffer dogs have been added to an already steller DVD dog detecting team. The country has become the first to have an actual division dedicated to canines and their ability to sniff out pirated DVDs, which are a multi-million dollar industry. Read more . . . French police raid pirate Bollywood store French police have raided a store in Paris that sold large amounts of counterfeit Bollywood music and films, and one man was arrested. They seized an estimated 3,000 pirate CDs and more than 200,000 counterfeit DVDs manufactured in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. Read more . . . £5m-a-year counterfeiters get 4.5 year jail sentence A DVD counterfeiting duo in London have been sentenced to a total of four years and six months for running an illegal factory worth £5 million a year. It is the first case of its kind for the Film Piracy Unit since it was established in 2006, funded by the Federation Against Copyright Thef. Read more . . . Polish border guards catch disc smugglers Polish border police recently carried out a raid in which they arrested eight people involved in the smuggling and manufacture of pirate CDs and DVDs. During the raid around 66,000 CDs, DVDs, CD-Rs and DVD-Rs and 108,000 inlay cards were seized, along with counterfeit inlays and packaging. Read more . . . UK local authorities get touch on illegal DVD traders A father and son who sold counterfeit DVDs, CDs and computer games at boot fairs across Kent in the UK have been successfully prosecuted by the County Council’s Trading Standards Service. Read more . . . £500,000 pirate DVD factory raided in London Following an intelligence-led operation, a large pirate DVD factory was raided last week in a 3-bedroom house in London. Some 250 burners were found, capable of producing over 170,000 knock-off DVDs a week with a street value of over half a million pounds sterling per week. Read more . . . Philippines' DVD counterfeiters turn informants The Philippines' Optical Media Board chairman Eduardo Manzanohas convinced some Muslim traders involved in the selling of illegally copied movies on DVD and music on CD to shift to selling other merchandise. And now, they are also the OMB chairman’s key in thwarting attempt to pirate movies shown during the recently concluded Metro Manila Film Festival. Read more . . . Australia's biggest DVD pirate operations busted Police have uncovered what is believed to be Australia's biggest pirated DVD operation in Melbourne. More than 250,000 DVDs and 100 DVD burners were seized from a home at Sunshine North in Melbourne's west, following a tip off from neighbours. Read more . . . UK's largest counterfeit DVD factory discovered to date The discovery of a DVD factory in Greenwich will make a significant dent in the market for counterfeit DVDs across London, according to the police. The equipment found was able to produce 140,000 knock-off DVDs per week with a street value of over £420,000. Read more . . . 15,000 counterfeit DVDs seized in Birmingham raid More than 15,000 counterfeit DVDs and 30 DVD burners were seized by Birmingham Trading Standards in the UK. Acting on intelligence from the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), and accompanied by West Midlands Police, they also seized DVD cases and inlays. Read more . . . Recording Industry calls on EU to tackle China piracy Heads of the international recording industry recently went to Brussels to raise what they call the serious piracy and market access problems they face when trying to do business in China. China has enormous promise for sales of music by European record companies, but its market was worth only 56 million euro in trade revenues last year. Read more . . . Toronto police bust counterfeit DVD operation Toronto police say they have shut down a sophisticated illegal DVD operation that was copying and distributing thousands of pirated movies, including some still being shown in theatres. Read more . . . eBay counterfeiter jailed A woman from Cumbria, UK, was given a six month jail sentence at Penrith Magistrates Court. Helen Louise Sharkey had earlier pleaded guilty to 18 charges of breaching trade mark and copyright law, in a case brought by Cumbria Trading Standards. Read more . . . Major pirate market raided in Argentina A special tactical operations unit consisting of 300 police officers from the Gendarmería, Argentina's equivalent of a Homeland Security Agency, acted on several search warrants earlier this month, seizing 136,067 recorded CD-Rs, 273 burners, 8.6 million inlays, 45,000 jewel boxes and 120,000 blank CD-Rs. Read more . . . Video shop owner jailed for film piracy offences A husband and wife who owned a video store in Merseyside, UK, have been sentenced for offences relating to the manufacture, distribution and sale of counterfeit DVDs, music CDs and video games.Read more . . . Taiwan police raids DVD-R burner lab Taiwan's IPR Police, in collaboration with the Taiwan Foundation Against Copyrights Theft (TFACT), representing the Motion Picture Association (MPA), raided a pirated DVD rental shop in Kaoshiung City. This action took down the largest known burner operation in the city, Taiwan's second biggest city after Taipei. Read more . . . Dutch police raids illegal DVD plant The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry said Dutch police has dismantled an illegal DVD manufacturing plant factory in Velddriel, southeast of Amsterdam, after raiding it last week. Read more . . . Pirate raid uncovers counterfeit money, fake documents A joint operation between the local police and the Federation Against Copyright Theft led to a successful raid on residential premises earlier this month in Lewisham, UK. The address was under suspicion of being a distribution centre for counterfeit DVDs – the sale of which is a serious problem in South East London. Read more . . . Disc piracy rampant in Czech Republic Bootleg music and movie sales are a bigger problem in the Czech Republic than anywhere else in the European Union, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Read more . . . Top China pirate DVD retailer ordered to pay US studios Shanghai-based Yue Ying, one of China's most notorious retailers of pirated goods, has been ordered to pay about £15,000 in damages to studios including Columbia, 20th Century Fox and Paramount over the sale of thousands of fake DVDs of Hollywood blockbusters. Read more . . . MPA launches piracy awareness campaign in Japan The Japan and International Motion Picture Copyright Association (JIMCA), which represents the Motion Picture Association (MPA) in Japan, has distributed copies of an MPA-developed booklet outlining the dangers of illegal peer-to-peer file sharing. Read more . . . First-time DVD counterfeiter gets 12-month jail sentence The City Council of Coventry, UK, assisted by investigators from the Federation Against Copyright Theft, led to the arrest and successful prosecution of Wayne Harry Haywood, 41, sentenced to 12 months imprisonment for dealing in counterfeit DVDs. Read more . . . Fiji police raids DVD bootleggers Fiji police confiscated about 4,000 DVD movies believed to be counterfeit which were sold on the last day of Fiji Showcase 2007 this weekend. Read more . . . Officials arrested in Italy piracy raid According to the IFPI, a policeman and a court official were among 35 people arrested in a major crackdown in the Italian town of Pescara. Read more . . . MPA launches anti-piracy trailer in Philippines The Philippines Optical Media Board and the Motion Picture Association recently launched a new MPA-produced anti-piracy movie trailer in Manila, in conjunction with the preview screening of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Read more . . . Taiwan police raids 'underground' DVD pirate factory In the biggest bust of a pirated media production racket this year, Taipei County police seized 42 DVD burners and nearly 60,000 bootleg DVDs and arrested seven suspects, the Movie Picture Association (MPA) said. Read more . . . 23m counterfeit discs from China seized by EU Over 23 million pirate CDs and DVDs were seized by customs at European borders in 2006, with an overwhelming 93% traceable to China, as opposed to 51% in 2005. Read more . . . Three jailed in UK counterfeiting conspiracy Ringleaders of music, film and games counterfeiting scam were jailed after amassing tens of thousands of pounds through sale of fake CDs, DVDs, games and extensive benefit fraud. This was the first sentencing from Operation Zealot which resulted in 29 arrests in 2006. Read more . . . £2m pirate DVD seizure is UK's largest ever FACT investigators were involved in the largest ever single seizure of pirate DVDs in a raid on premises in Dudley, West Midlands, UK, last week where five people were arrested. Read more . . . Taiwan film distributor traps illegal DVD traders A Taiwanese company is using its employees to pose as online buyers to nab people selling pirated foreign films on the Internet in an unusual way of controlling the fake DVD market, a news report said Sunday. Read more . . . Brazil counterfeit raids net $100,000+ Anti-piracy raids in Sao Paulo, Brasil, recently yielded 200 CD burners and over 30,000 pirated CDs and DVDs with a street value of more than $100,000. Read more . . . Malaysia pirates put bounty on DVD sniffer dogs Malaysian movie pirates have put a bounty on the heads of two sniffer dogs who busted a fake DVD ring with a seizure of discs worth about $3 million, media and officials said last week. Read more . . . China pursues pirates, but fines too small, says MPA A Shanghai court ruled that the Shanghai Le Ying AV Products Company DVD retail outlet was guilty of copyright infringement for selling pirated versions of Motion Picture Association (MPA) member company movies. Read more . . . Guatemala police nets 1m counterfeit discs in raids More than one million counterfeit discs containing pirated music and films were seized by police in a major street operation in downtown Guatemala City last week. Read more . . . 10-year ASBOs, prison sentences for DVD pirates Following the recent operation by Hackney, London, police and local council targeting prolific pirate DVD sellers read story, six defendants were given five month prison sentences, suspended for 2 years, along with 10 year anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs). Read more . . . East London DVD sellers ordered for deportation Two men and four women arrested last week in Hackney, East London, have been ordered for deportation. All six are Chinese nationals and were identified by the Immigration Service as being in the UK illegally. They all pleaded guilty to offences of film piracy by breach of copyright. Read more . . . MPA lauds Malaysia's anti-piracy efforts, raids Japan lab The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has lauded Malaysia's efforts in fighting against piracy and protecting intellectual property rights, while, in Japan, it closes down a DVD-R burning lab capable of turning out 2 million pirated movies a year. Read more . . . Chinese police cracks down on piracy, pornography Chinese police seized about 150 million illegal, pirate and pornographic publications in 2006, according to a national conference last week. Read more . . . Fiji video industry in piracy clean-up campaign The Fiji Audio Visual Industry Association (FAVIA) has followed the military in its clean-up campaign by tracking down illegal suppliers of DVD in its fight to curb piracy in the country. Read more . . . Major London pirate factory raided Four men have been arrested in Thamesmead, London, following the discovery of a ‘factory’ making counterfeit DVDs worth hundreds of thousands of pounds. Read more . . . Counterfeiter generated £122,000 worth of illegal DVDs The UK's Assets Recovery Agency Financial Investigators, working in partnership with the Federation Against Copyright Theft and British Phonographic Industry have secured a Confiscation Order worth £60,681 against a convicted counterfeiter out of activities that amounted to £122,000. Read more . . . Croatian policy crack down on CD/DVD pirates At a recent press conference, the Croatian police reported that a special team of investigators pulled the largest coup of pirated software in the force's history. Read more . . . Six jailed in UK for Internet film piracy conspiracy A major internet piracy conspiracy has been broken up and six men have been sentenced to terms of imprisonment ranging from six months to four years last week in the first case of its kind in the UK at Birmingham Crown Court for offences relating to the manufacture, distribution and sale of pirate DVDs. Read more . . . eBay DVD film pirate has record £55,000 assets seizure A prolific British-based seller of pirate DVDs on eBay has been ordered to pay £55,000 under Proceeds Of Crime legislation following a judgement on Friday at Bradford Crown Court, UK. Read more . . . 13-year jail sentence for China counterfeiters Nine people convicted of selling illegally copied DVDs and other goods have been jailed for up to 13 years in China's biggest anti-piracy crackdown to date. The sentences were the longest reported since China stepped up penalties for product piracy in mid-2005, imposing jail time in addition to fines. Read more . . . Czech anti-piracy union launches campaign “Films are not free” runs the slogan of a new anti-piracy campaign from the Czech Anti-Piracy Union (CPU). Soliciting support for the campaign from Czech media, CPU presented details of their new spots targeted against both Internet movie sharing and the buying of black market copies of films. Read more . . . Malaysia police seize $350,000 of counterfeit DVDs Malaysia Malaysian authorities seized 1.38 million ringgit ($350,000) worth of pirated DVD movies bound for the Middle East in the latest crackdown aimed at improving the country's dismal record of copyright violations. Read more . . . Glasgow film pirate jailed for 22 months Thomas McCabe, age 51, from Glasgow was sentenced in to 22 months imprisonment for film piracy offences, having pleaded guilty to manufacturing counterfeit copies of DVD films and music CDs. Read more . . . 3-year jail sentence for pirate caught on film A Glasgow man who was caught twice by Trading Standards with illegal DVDs at Ayr Sunday Market, Scotland, pleded guilty to charges at Ayr sheriff Court last week and was sentenced to 2 years and 10 months imprisonment. Read more . . . Disney hires EMEA anti-piracy chief Media giant The Walt Disney Company has ramped up protection of its intellectual property by hiring its first anti-piracy chief for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (Emea). Read more . . . Essex DVD counterfeiter behind bar Over 15,000 pirate discs were seized during a raid in Chadwell Heath, Essex, along with 90 DVD burners and four colour printers used to produce the DVDs and the artwork for the sleeves. Read more . . . Hollywood losing $6.1bn a year to piracy A new report commissioned by the Motion Picture Association of America show the U.S. movie studios are losing about $6.1 billion annually in global wholesale revenue to piracy, about 75% more than previous estimated losses of $3.5 billion in hard goods. Read more . . . Fiji law enforcers learn how to tackle piracy The Fiji Audio Visual Industry Association (FAVIA) has been hosting the Copyright Law Enforcement seminar for members of the Fiji Police Force and other enforcement agents to more effectively tackle piracy “which negatively affects Fiji as a film making location.” Read more . . . Online pirate DVD seller raided in London A prolific pirate DVD seller in London (Hackney), operating online, had her house raided by officers from Hackney Trading Standards and FACT following work done by FACT’s Internet Investigation Team over a number of months. Read more . . . Kiwi DVD online sellers strike deal with anti-piracy body The New Zealand Federation Against Copyright Theft (NZFACT) says it has reached settlements with 14 online auction traders selling pirated DVD movies on New Zealand auction websites. Read more . . . Chinese pirate DVD sellers caught in UK swoop Eleven pirate DVD sellers were arrested last week in a joint operation by FACT, Metropolitan Police, Waltham Forest Trading Standards and the Immigration Service in a major swoop on Leyton Mills Retail Park in North East London. Read more . . . Chinese pirates offered legal copy swap deal Fed up with continued piracy of DVDs and software, a Chinese city is offering retailers the chance to swap fake discs for real ones. Read more . . . FACT tackles cinema camcording with new investigator The Federation Against Copyright Theft is addressing the increasing threat from camcording in UK cinemas by creating a new role of Theatrical Investigator. The investigator will be tasked specifically with liaising with the UK cinema industry to help educate, prevent and protect against copyright theft from camcording and other forms of digital recording. Read more . . . HMV boss says DVD piracy is 'grossly unfair competition' “We are faced with a situation of grossly unfair competition” says HMV’s MD Steve Knott at the annual Trading Standard Conference in London last week, talking about the impact of DVD piracy on the retail sector and the importance of protecting intellectual property. Read more . . . Police seize record 140 DVD-R burners in Jakarta raid Earlier this month, Jakarta Police raided a house in West Jakarta, arresting two men and seizing a record 140 DVD-R burners, as well as 53,400 pirated optical discs, including 28,400 DVD-R movies and 25,000 CD music titles. Read more . . . South Wales, London film pirates targeted South Wales Police, regional Trading Standards, the Federation Again Copyright Theft (FACT), British Phonographic Institute (BPI) and European Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) last week joined forces in a series of raids targeting film pirates in the South Wales area. Read more . . . Faking the fakes in South Africa People in South Africa who have bought pirated DVDs of Tsotsi got a nasty shock when they discovered they were not getting what they bargained for. Read more . . . Swedish police raid online pirate site Swedish police have raided 10 different locations in the country and seized servers in a massive crackdown on torrent site Piratebay.org. Read more . . . Prolific eBay DVD pirate jailed for 6 months At Bradford, UK, the Crown Court has jailed a prolific DVD pirate for 6 months. Peter Spencer, 39, had been trading on eBay since 2002 selling counterfeit DVDs and making over £39,000 in less than two years from his illegal activities. Read more . . . Piracy hotspots targeted with DVD amnesty According to new research, more people in the North East of England and Scotland have knowingly bought a pirate DVD than anywhere else in the UK. The organisation set up to highlight the problem of DVD crime, the Industry Trust for IP Awareness, is now urging consumers in these areas not to be tempted. Read more . . . London police stumbles on pirate DVD factory On Sunday, metropolitan police officers from London’s Walthamstow borough discovered a large counterfeit DVD and cannabis factory. Read more . . . Australia's pirates risk stiffer penalties The Australian police will have the power to issue on-the-spot fines to pirate DVD and compact disc hawkers under new laws. Sellers of pirate discs and movies could also be forced to repay what they earn through sales of unlicensed material under proceeds of crime laws. Read more . . . Two jailed after raid on UK's biggest pirate factory Two men have been jailed for a total of three years after admitting their part in the running of one of the biggest ever pirate DVD factories in the UK, capable of producing thousands of counterfeited films each day. Read more . . . FedEx uses burnt DVD dog sniffers The UK Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) has begun employing two very special black labradors for the express purpose of sniffing out pirated DVDs at Fedex's UK hub. Read more . . . DVD piracy 75% higher than anticipated, says report An 18-month study completed in 2005 by LEK Consulting has found that lost sales from piracy of DVD movies and downloads totals some $6.1 billion a year, a figure 75 percent higher than previous industry estimates. Read more . . . Oscar winner Tsotsi hit by widespread piracy Tsotsi, the South African gangster film based on the exploits of a shantytown thug, has itself become the target of criminal gangs who are selling pirated DVD copies across the country. Read more . . . Call for UK retailers to support Operation Unity 4 The UK's Home Entertainment Corporation Chairman Iain Muspratt is to lead a fourth anti-piracy initiative aimed at identifying local-level pirate DVD sellers in April. Operation Unity has been carried out through IP Awareness Trust and complements the high level targeting undertaken by FACT. Read more . . . Clampdown on DVD crime in pubs Pubs are set to be targeted as part of a massive nationwide awareness campaign to help stamp out DVD piracy. Around 36,000 pubs will be sent an anti-piracy pack as part of the campaign – the biggest-ever targeted at licensees. Read more . . . $3.7m pirate DVD lab busted in Australia Authorities who raided a home in Springvale, Australia, last week found computer hardware with the capacity to copy more than $3.7 million worth of pirated DVD movies, including hardcore pornography and Hollywood blockbusters. Read more . . . Malaysian disc counterfeiters arrested Malaysian authorities have crippled two DVD and video CD piracy rings, arresting 30 people and seizing nine duplicating machines worth 36m ringgit (£5.4m), a local newspaper reported this week. Read more . . . El Salvador pirates protest new copyright laws For years the streets of San Salvador have been full of street vendors selling bootleg copies of CDs and DVDs for very low prices. Now, new tougher copyright laws have come into place since 1st January this year which include a mandatory jail sentence for selling pirated software movies or music. Read more . . . State funded piracy operation uncovered in US Inside West Virginia's gold-domed Capitol, somebody has transformed a tucked-away basement office into a makeshift, taxpayer-funded studio to create pirate DVD videos and music CDs. Read more . . . Hong Kong busts website selling Japanese DVDs The Hong Kong authorities have closed down a website selling pirated animation DVD discs to Japanese customers through mail-order, the local Chinese daily Wen Wei Po reported. Read more . . . UK disc counterfeiter ordered to repay £59,000 A man from Workington, Cumbria, was ordered to repay over £59,000 after he was found guilty of copying illegally CDs and DVDs. Read more . . . Anti-piracy campaign warns Christmas shoppers Shoppers are being warned about the risks of buying pirate DVDs as Christmas presents, as part of the UK Industry Trust for IP Awareness’ national anti-DVD piracy campaign. Read more . . . KDG Mediatech sign up to IRMA Anti-Piracy Programme Austria's KDG Mediatech AG, has been certified under the internationally-approved Anti-Piracy Compliance Programme of the International Recording Media Association (IRMA). Read more . . . Spanish police bust Chinese piracy network Spanish police have arrested 69 Chinese people suspected of belonging to a CD and DVD pirating network capable of copying more than a million discs a month, the Interior Ministry said on Thursday. Read more . . . UK online pirate DVD trader sentenced Following investigations into online trading of counterfeit DVDs by FACT, the Federation Against Copyright Theft, two illegal online traders have been sentenced and are now subject to financial investigation under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Read more . . . Blu-ray disc protection system tracks forgery Like HD DVD, Blu-ray uses the Advanced Access Content System. Unlike HD DVD, however, Blu-ray also adds a second layer of protection called BD+, and a third layer called ROM Mark. Read more . . . Casual piracy fuels revenue worries across Europe 'Digital Play', a new research report just released, reveals that 50% of entertainment content distributed on physical media are sold in Europe without content protection, and less than 10% of titles are protected from unauthorized peer-to-peer (P2P) downloading. Read more . . . Russian counterfeit DVDs produced on military bases The Russian Interior Ministry has revealed that millions of pirated DVDs, CDs and CD-ROMs are being produced at factories on secret military facilities beyond the jurisdiction of the police, reports the London Times’ Moscow correspondent. Read more . . . With Ripguard, CDA leads copy protection battle In a move that further strengthens its efforts to reduce piracy, CDA Datentraeger Albrechts GmbH has become one of the first German replicators to offer customers the new Macrovision copy protection solution Ripguard. Read more . . . Hollywood studios set up anti-piracy unit Hollywood's six major film studios have unveiled a technology venture to find new ways to protect movies from illegal copying and distribution in black markets or over the Internet. Read more . . . Huge counterfeit DVD operation smashed A huge haul of fake DVDs with a street value of about £1m has been seized in a raid at a house in west London. Read more . . Pirate DVD production in UK up 133% The UK DVD industry has launched a major new campaign Monday to highlight the involvement of serious criminals behind the seemingly innocuous DVD pirates as new figures reveal pirate DVD production within the UK has increased 133%. Read more . . . Internet pirate forced to repay £30,000 A pirate DVD trader from Bolton, UK, has been ordered to pay back £30,000 of his fortune after pleading guilty to selling counterfeit DVDs on the internet. Read more . . . Online DVD rental service closed down, stock seized The UK Rental Rights Protection Programme (RRPP) confirmed Tuesday, as part of its latest action for copyright infringement, that High Court Enforcement officers have seized stock belonging to online rental service Boxchoice.com. The company has now ceased trading. Read more . . . £1.4m confiscation order against convicted DVD pirates A record confiscation order to the value of £1.4 million, resulting from the importation and sale of pirated DVDs in the UK, has been awarded against two men who were imprisoned for the crimes in 2004. Read more . . . UK local council hits at dodgy DVD street trader London’s Newham Council, in partnership with the local Metropolitan Police, has successfully obtained an Anti-Social Behaviour Order (ASBO) against an unlicensed street trader that bans him from dealing in counterfeit goods. Read more . . . Japanese filmmakers declare war on piracy Since March, movie theaters in Japan have been screening a short advertisement before films are shown calling for an end to the pirating of movies. "Films are stolen, and so are impressive moments. Precious things are being tainted," a voice-over says as the screen shows a girl shedding dark tears. Her tears then turn into skulls. Read more . . . 11-country raid against movie downloading 'Warez' Operation Site Down, an 11-country action against internet movie and games pirates has resulted in four arrests and the closure of eight online distribution servers, the US Justice Department said late last week. FBI agents and investigators in the other nations, targeting what are known as 'Warez' groups, conducted 90 searches starting on Wednesday, the Department said. Read more . . . Acceptance of counterfeit goods a concern, study says Consumers’ acceptance of counterfeit goods “presents a major challenge to Government, enforcement agencies and industries” says new survey. Fake Nation? – A Study Into An Everyday Crime is launched in London today by the Alliance Against Intellectual Property Theft. Read more . . . Online pirates are not immune from prosecution An online pirate was recently sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court in the UK to six months’ imprisonment for importation and distribution of DVDs over the internet. Material seized after his arrest included two computers, six DVD burners, 1236 films and 2850 DVD covers. Read more . . . DVD anti-piracy campaing puts spotlight on criminals Further evidence of the links between DVD piracy and serious criminals is strengthened with the publication of a new report containing case studies, compiled by the Industry Trust for IP Awareness Ltd. The report was released on 15th June to coincide with World Anti Counterfeiting Day. Read more . . . Warner targets China piracy via new DVD release strategy In an attempt to stem overseas sales of illegally copied movies on DVD, Hollywood studio Warner Bros. released low-cost The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants on DVD in China's retail outlets on the same day it premiered in US cinemas. Read more . . . Cryptography Research to secure next-generation formats Sigma Designs, a leader in digital media processing for consumer appliances, is supporting Cryptography Research's Self-Protecting Digital Content (SPDC) optical media security technology in its next-generation SMP8630 series secure media processors. Read more . . . US threatens China over continuing DVD piracy The US film industry on Monday threatened to push for action against China in the World Trade Organisation as illegal DVD copies of the latest Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith movie went on sale on Beijing's streets just a few days after its opening. Read more . . . Cinea watermarking system for Rimage publishing tools Rimage Corporation, a leading provider of disc publishing systems, announced that Cinea, a subsidiary of Dolby Laboratories, has integrated its watermarking system into Rimage publishing systems to provide a seamless security solution for anyone creating digital video content that needs to be protected against unauthorized distribution. Read more . . . UK emerges as key producer of pirate DVDs New seizure figures released by the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) indicate that the UK is becoming a key player in the production of pirate DVDs. Large quantities of blank DVDRs (recordable discs) used for producing counterfeit copies of films are typically smuggled into the UK from Asia Pacific countries, then distributed to British pirates who ‘burn’ films onto them. Read more . . . 1 million pirated discs seized in record Philippines raid On April 14, the Motion Picture Association (MPA) and Optical Media Board (OMB), with backup from the Philippines National Police officers, raided the notorious Bartertrade Mall in Quiapo, Manila, serving 96 warrants and seizing a record 1,080,000 pirated optical discs valued at an estimated Php108 million (US$2 million). Read more . . . Pakistan's illegal capacity doubles every 18 months When Ameed Riaz – an enterprising young man from Karachi – bought EMI Pakistan from its parent company in England back in 1993, he probably had visions of becoming the country's music guru. Not without reason. With exclusive rights to over 150,000 songs and other compilations, EMI Pakistan is the largest music archive in Pakistan. But within two years, Mr Riaz was forced to shut down and seek an alternative living. Read more . . . Mapping the pirates' progress in the UK Home Entertainment Corporation Chairman Iain Muspratt has kept up pressure on the pirates besieging the UK home entertainment industry, producing a map plotting the spread of pirate activity resulting from his groundbreaking Project Unity survey. Read more . . . Because of lax laws Canada is paradise for DVD pirates Canada is among the world's piracy hot spots, along with places such as Pakistan and Malaysia, said John Malcolm, the MPAA's senior vice-president and director of worldwide anti-piracy operations in Encino, Calif. "I think that the piracy problem in Canada has a lot more to do with lax laws . . . coupled with high demand by and relative affluence of Canadian citizens, than proximity to the U.S." Read more . . . First Swede prosecuted for sharing film files on the web A man in Västerås has become the first Swede to be charged with illegally sharing files via the Internet, according to a local newspaper. But prosecutors say that unless the case results in a prison sentence, other cases of web piracy might never get to court. Read more . . . Mexico piracy raid net tons of hardware, software Mexican authorities raided an open-air market reportedly notorious for selling pirated DVDs a week after MPAA president and CEO Dan Glickman complained about the marketplace to Mexican President Vicente Fox. Read more . . . State-of-the-art software helps reveal piracy facts Cutting edge analytical software is currently being installed by the UK Federation Against Copyright Theft as the agency looks to increase its investigative capacities in the fight against DVD piracy. Read more . . . Collective management of copyright approved in China In China, a regulation on the collective management of copyrighted materials, approved by the State Council, became effective on March 1. Its aim is to better protect the interests of copyright owners throughout the nation. Read more . . . Police chiefs to get the facts on DVD piracy DVD piracy and its connection to a wide variety of criminal activities will be brought under the microscope at this year’s ACPO Conference in Birmingham. The Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) will be exhibiting throughout the event, which takes place at the NEC between 17 and 19 May. Read more . . . Will low-low prices beat piracy? Warner Brothers Home Entertainment, which has perfected low pricing as a strategic marketing tool, is planning to turn it into a a weapon against piracy. Read more . . . It's been a bad week for pirates In UK, a major distributor of pirated Bollywood DVDs has been jailed for three years. Jayanti Amarishi Buhecha from Cambridge was found guilty of two trademark offences at a London court. Buhecha, who made £26,000 per month from his illegal trade, was called "one of the biggest Bollywood pirates in the UK" by the sentencing judge. Read more . . . Performance royalties to flow from Russian broadcasters In a move designed to help in the fight against copyright theft, Russia has signed an agreement with three royalty-collecting agencies. Culture Minister Alexander Sokolov, acknowledging the existence of a “legal vacuum,” said: “The time has come to come together and cooperate." Read more . . . Illegal downloading: Brits make hay with BitTorrent Envisional, the internet tracker, says 18 percent of illegal web downloads of US shows were downloaded by parties in Britain. The company claims that up to 100,000 people in the UK illicitly downloaded television programming, many using the BitTorrent file-sharing facility. Read more . . . Macrovision's RipGuard DVD to reduce digital piracy Macrovision announced the worldwide availability of RipGuard DVD, a digital rip-control solution for DVD Video. RipGuard DVD plugs the “digital hole” created by PC-based DeCSS ripper software, which allows millions of average consumers to make unauthorized perfect digital copies of copyrighted DVDs in mere minutes. Read more . . . Copyright industries blast Russia, Ukraine, Pakistan The International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) submitted on Friday its recommendations to US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick in its annual “Special 301” review of copyright piracy and market access problems around the world. As a result of the deficiencies in the copyright regimes of 67 countries/territories surveyed, IIPA reports that the US copyright-based industries suffered estimated trade losses due to piracy of $13.4 billion in 2004. Read more . . . UK's largest counterfeiter of Bollywood DVDs arrested One of the biggest dealers of pirated Bollywood films in the UK has been arrested at his Cambridge base. Jayanti Amarishi Buhecha (picture) was dealing ripped-off DVDs on a massive scale. In raids on his home and a lock-up unit in the city, trading standards officers seized 20,000 illegal films along with 28,000 counterfeit inlay cards. Read more . . . London to host European anti-piracy conference Culture Secretary, Tessa Jowell and Trade and Industry Secretary, Patricia Hewitt gave UK Government backing to a major pan-European conference on Intellectual Property designed to seek 21st century solutions to protect creativity, ideas and innovation. Read more . . . India to strengthen disc piracy laws The Indian government is planning to bring in “optical disc legislation” to combat piracy, the nation’s Information and Broadcasting Minister Jaipal Reddy has revealed. Read more . . . Asia-Pacific piracy costs Hollywood $896m in 2004 Piracy in the Asia-Pacific region cost Hollywood's leading studios more than $896m in 2004, according to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). And the Hollywood studio body said it coordinated more than 12,000 raids of illegal DVD burning labs and other outlawed facilities in more than 13 countries last year. Read more . . . Showbiz gangs up on Grokster and ilk The entertainment industry has mounted a new assault on internet services that let people swap music and videos, enlisting an array of artists, state officials, academics and others to urge the US Supreme Court to crack down on companies that provide file-sharing tools. Read more . . . New copy-protection software unveiled at MIDEM Macrovision, the leading manufacturer of CD copy-protection software, has released its latest vision of Digital Rights Management utopia. Demonstrating the product at the Midem trade show in Cannes, Macrovision revealed a suite of anti-P2P devices including the tough CDS-300 v8 copy protection software. Read more . . . IRMA and BIEM close ranks to beat piracy The International Recording Media Association (IRMA) and the Bureau International des Sociétés Gérant les Droits d'Enregistrement et de Reproduction Mécanique (BIEM) have formed a cooperative relationship in order to to “strengthen the global fight against piracy of intellectual property.” Read more . . . Chinese may jail US nationals for DVD piracy At a time when China is making an effort to clean up DVD piracy in its back yard, local newspaper reports state that two American nationals face up to 15 years in a Chinese jail after they were tried by a court in Shanghai, charged with selling pirated DVDs on the Internet. Read more . . . Universal renews copyright agreement with Macrovision Macrovision Corporation announced that Universal Studios Home Entertainment has entered into a new, multi-year copy-protection agreement for its DVDs and select videocassettes worldwide. “This agreement firmly underscores Universal’s commitment to vigorously protect its video and DVD content from all facets of piracy,” said Craig Kornblau, President, Universal Studios Home Entertainment. “Implementing Macrovision’s video protection ecosystem helps us to effectively enhance the long-term value of our film library, while advancing our efforts to aggressively derail piracy.” Taiwan improves its IP protection record Copyright holders' groups have given Taiwan high marks for their efforts in protecting intellectual property rights – but the same groups have concerns over peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing activities there. Read more . . . Chinese authorities warn DVD pirates The National Copyright Administration of China says pirate DVDs and CDs will “feel the weight” of authorities that are determined to stamp out the practice this year. A spokesperson for the NCA, Duan Yuping, acknowledged at a Beijing press conference that piracy is still rampant in some regions of China. Read more . . . Cinram UK earns anti-piracy nod from IRMA Cinram UK Ltd has completed the internationally accepted anti-piracy standards developed by the International Recording Media Association (IRMA). IRMA says its Anti-Piracy Compliance Programme (APCP) is recognised as the replication industry's only certification programme. Read more . . . 'A quarter of entertainment execs lost revenue to piracy' According to a recent survey of Variety, Broadcasting & Cable and Multichannel News readers by In-Stat research outfit, half of TV and movie industry professionals say that piracy is a threat to their bottom lines, and 27% have already lost revenue due to the illegal theft or reproduction of their intellectual property. Read more . . . DVD pirates 'steal' from Woolworths Woolworths has become the first high-street retailer to report disappointing Christmas trading, blaming Chinese DVD pirates and selfish parents for flat sales. Read more . . . UK DVD piracy now of 'epic proportions' Police in the UK have launched a pre-Christmas sales season crackdown on street traders selling pirate DVDs. Blockbusters currently in cinematic release – including Bridget Jones 2, The Incredibles and Blade: Trinity together with unreleased films – are on sale for as little as £3, less than the price of a cinema ticket. Read more . . . Downloaders flavour of the month: BitTorrent |
