An
investigation has led to the discovery of a DVD movie counterfeiting ring
located in the UK. The police and trading standards officers have found a
premises in Leyton, east London, with over 500 DVD burners that they
estimate could produce some 60,000 pirate DVDs per day.
The
Metropolitan Police and Waltham Forest Trading Standards in a joint
initiative with FACT (Federation Against Copyright Theft) on Wednesday
raided a major pirate DVD manufacturing facility and made five arrests.
The premises contained over 500 individual DVD burners capable of
producing over 60,000 pirate DVDs per day, with an estimated daily street
value in excess of £250,000 (c. £1.7m per week).
The raid in Leyton
followed an investigation into the supply of counterfeit DVDs across
London and the South East and also involved officers from the Met's new
Film Piracy Unit (FPU), a joint initiative with FACT. Officers from the
FPU will be conducting a detailed investigation into the finances
surrounding the pirate operation.
Titles seized in the raid include Ice Age 2, which only goes on
general UK cinema release today (Friday), and over 300 other titles.
One female and four males were arrested and taken to a police
station in east London. Enquiries continue.
In case you are interested, the story
can be read in it's entirety at the source, by following this link to Fact UK. There is also an additional
picture of the "factory" there.
