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Business News Legal
Six arrested in counterfeit CD raid
By CMU Editorial | Published on Tuesday 29 November 2011
Six market traders believed to have been producing and selling large quantities of counterfeit CDs and DVDs have been arrested as part of a raid organised by Greater Manchester Police.
Record label trade body BPI, the Intellectual Property Office and anti-piracy body FACT were also involved in the investigation into the operation, which was selling dodgy albums and movies from Salford Market, Greymare Lane Market and Conran Street Market.
Counterfeit CDs and DVDs worth tens of thousands of pounds were seized during the raids on Friday, which the government’s IP Minister Judy Wilcox apparently attended in person.
She told CMU: “The Intellectual Property Office has played an important part in helping to collect the intelligence for this operation in Manchester. It is fantastic to see so many organisations working together to disrupt criminal activity. The government has already worked with the Crown Prosecution Service to develop training which will equip prosecutors to deal effectively with cases involving counterfeit goods. And we will continue to work with Trading Standards, the police and CPS to share information and disrupt this type of criminal activity”.
Commenting on the raids, the BPI’s anti-piracy man David Wood added: “Physical music piracy costs the record business more than £100 million per year – a significant percentage of industry revenue. Buying and selling these fake CDs and DVDs strips artists of a fair reward for their music and deprives record companies – both big and small – of the capital required to invest in exciting new artists, merchandise and products that music fans deserve. We would like to thank Greater Manchester Police, Manchester City Council, and Salford Council for their professionalism and diligence in undertaking this collaborated approach to target the organised crime gangs who are manufacturing and distributing counterfeit CDs and DVD”.
