FBI cuts DVD piracy in the U.S

From One to One Magazine Thursday, 06 July 2006

The FBI claims to have broken two large-scale international movie piracy rings, following 13 arrests made in the New York area on June 28. The rings to which the individuals belonged are responsible for half the camcorded copies of movies available as pirated DVDs or on the internet in the US, and 25% of those available worldwide, said the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). Each of the defendants is alleged to have played one or more of the following roles in the pirate movie trafficking: Making recordings in movie theatres Producing paper inserts containing printed images and artwork associated with pirated movies Selling master copies of movies, and the paper inserts, to the creators of pirate movie discs Some of those charged are also charged with distributing movies via the internet, through distribution hubs in Pakistan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia - by uploading material either from DVDs or from camcorder footage. The arrests were the culmination of a three-year investigation, which involved two undercover FBI agents, three co-operating witnesses and two undercover operations. The defendants are charged with conspiracy, copyright infringement and trafficking in counterfeit labels, documents and packaging; each offence carries a maximum prison sentence of five years. Announcing the arrests, Mark Mershon, assistant director-in-charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office, thanked the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the MPAA for their assistance in the investigation. The MPAA also offered thanks to those involved in the operation. “Today's arrests are a substantial victory in the fight to curb movie theft on the Internet and on the streets," said Dan Glickman, chairman and CEO. “These camcorders were an organised group of people responsible for fuelling an underground economy.”