MI2N reports that The first raids on a suspected music counterfeiter since the UK maximum jail term for copyright infringement was raised to ten years, have taken place in the North East of England.
On Friday 22nd November, a house and a shop in the Washington and Fencehouses areas of Sunderland, were raided and one man was arrested. He could now face charges under the Copyright, Designs & Patents Act (1988), the Trade Marks Act (1994) and the Trade Descriptions Act (1968).
Just two days earlier, the "Copyright, etc, and Trade Marks (Offences and Enforcement) Act 2002" became UK law. This act brings sentences for copyright offences into line with those for trade mark offences - the maximum sentence for both offences now being ten years' imprisonment. |
The raids were carried out by Sunderland Trading Standards Officers and Northumberland police (Washington station) following weeks of surveillance activity by the MCPS Anti-Piracy Unit '“ the organisation that monitors the illegal use of the works of composers and songwriters. It is believed that an illegal CD copying business was being run from the two premises.
Thousands of music master discs were discovered in the house - forming the repertoire of material available for making counterfeit copies. The shop is thought to have been used to sell the illegally copied CD's.
Read the entire story here.
Source: Mi2n.com
