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Police arrest web piracy team
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In an operation in Wales involving police, officials from the Intellectual Property office and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), three people have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in a national Internet-based music and film piracy ring.The team are believed to have created 'master discs' which contain thousands of files of music, movies and other copyrighted media, which could then be sold nationally.
The BPI estimate that piracy in the UK costs the industry £165 million each year with 7% of the population admitting that they have bought fake copies before.
The team communicated with other criminal gangs using closed chat rooms where they would take orders, organise payments and arrange delivery of the discs.
According to a statement from both the Trading Standards and the BPI, the gang was one of the biggest suppliers of pirate music and films in Britain. It had earned £3,000 a month selling the discs.
BPI Chief Executive Geoff Taylor, said, "We expect this successful operation to cause major disruption to the supply and distribution of counterfeit masters nationwide… Almost every counterfeit CD, film or computer game bought in this country has involved criminal gangs at some point in the process."
