Crackdown on movie pirates

The first people to be found guilty of the manufacture, distribution and sale of pirate DVD’s in the UK have been sentenced to jail terms of between six months to four years.

According to the Federation Against Copyright Theft (Fact), which investigated the crime that led to the prosecution of the six British-based men, the men were found to be responsible for the production and sale of counterfeit films traded predominantly via the internet through the PIR8 online forum to over 13,000 users.

However their customers are not being pursued by the authorities at the moment but are warned not to become complacent.

Eddy Leviten, Fact's head of communication, said: “We are currently only out to prosecute as many distributors and manufacturers as we can when it comes to piracy.

"No-one has ever said that the public will be prosecuted for downloading pirate films, yet this is definitely not an invitation for them to do so."

He warned: "The law makes it clear and the public must start as they mean to go on and not partake in any illegal buying or downloading of pirate material."

Working with police and trading standards officers across the UK, and with the help of the BPI’s Anti-Piracy Unit, Fact was able to facilitate the arrest of the gang and the search of both private and business premises occupied by it.

The six, aged from 21 to 37 years old, admitted conspiracy to defraud in the first case of its kind to come before the criminal courts in the UK.

“This should send a strong message to those involved in film piracy in all forms, including online, that Fact will trace and prosecute criminals seeking to profit from defrauding legitimate businesses and that the courts can and will hand out strong sentences,” said Sharp.

Kieron Sharp, Fact director general, also sent a strong warning to the public: "They should also be aware that in purchasing pirate DVDs they are contributing to these criminals’ profits, bringing criminal activity to their neighbourhoods and affecting the livelihoods of local businesses”.