Talking of centres of music piracy, a series of raids has been staged in what is often considered Europe's biggest 'piracy black spot' - the Czech Republic. Officials there have raided two of an estimated fifty open air markets that take place near the country's border with Germany and Austria and where high quantities of counterfeit goods are exchanged. Czech authorities say they seized millions of dollars worth of bootlegged goods during the two raids, including a massive 54,000 pirated CDs.
Commenting on the raids, John Kennedy of the International Federation Of The Phonographic Industry told reporters: "These raids are a good first step - we would like to see the Czech authorities go much further. Pirate stalls need to be shut down indefinitely, stall owners should be prosecuted, and the Czech authorities should make those who exploit these illegal markets liable."