cloakdoa lets us know that, as a
response to piracy complaints from the recording industry, at least
six Jacksonville business owners face felony charges of making or selling counterfeit music CDs. The police
seized more than 10,000 CDs and DVDs in the raid and found about 20 CD copiers
and thousands of bootleg discs:
 The searches, conducted Saturday, were a response to complaints
from the recording industry that low-priced pirated music is undermining
the entertainment industry and law-abiding shopkeepers.
An executive from the Recording Industry
Association of America told detectives in May that thousands of
unauthorized recordings were being sold each month in Northeast Florida,
typically priced between $5 and $10 each. Many legally produced CDs retail
for $16 to $20.
Saturday's crackdown was conducted in
cooperation with the recording industry, said Sgt. Frank Japour of the
Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, who took part in one of several task force
teams that searched the shops. He referred detailed questions to the lead
detectives, who couldn't be reached for comment.
It was unclear how many customers
realized they were buying unauthorized recordings. But a police report
said one business owner kept a listing of songs available to customers in
bootleg form.
Recordings were sold as side businesses
at some of the addresses police searched. Inside at least one business, a
separate company leased space to sell the
CDs. |
Source: Jacksonville.com
