Dutch court fines Bollywood pirates
Amsterdam, 10 December 2007

A Dutch court has fined a number of Rotterdam shopkeepers up to €15,000 each for selling illegal pirated Bollywood material. Three of the defendants were also given community service sentences of up to 200 hours and a three month conditional prison sentence.

The verdicts came at the end of a trial that was triggered by a raid in March 2005 which saw the seizure of more than 140,000 CDs and DVDs containing Indian music and movies from 13 shops across Rotterdam.

Most of the illegal product originated in Pakistan, a major source of illegal copies of popular Indian films and music.

The raids had involved around 100 officers from the Dutch fiscal police, supported by investigators from record industry bodies IFPI and BPI as well as Dutch anti-piracy group BREIN, who assisted the authorities in identifying illegal product.

BPI, which represents the UK recording industry, had a Bollywood music and film piracy expert who supplied specialist advice and additional intelligence ahead of the raids. The rate of Bollywood music and film piracy in the UK is estimated at 70 per cent, far higher than the average national music piracy rate of 10 per cent.

Tim Kuik, Managing Director of BREIN, says: “Despite the high profile of online piracy, the sale of counterfeit Bollywood CDs and DVDs is still a major problem in the Netherlands. We are pleased with this verdict that sends a strong message to shopkeepers tempted to make a quick profit by selling illegal product.”

Paul Warren, European Anti-Piracy Co-ordinator for IFPI, adds: “The import and sale of discs containing illegal copies of music and film from India is sadly still a continuing problem across Europe. Such illegal trade directly undermines the creative industries in India that are doing so much to generate employment and growth to help that country develop.”

David Wood, Anti-Piracy Investigator at BPI, adds: “BPI was pleased to be able to assist our Dutch colleagues in this case. The UK is a major market for pirate Bollywood material and we were able to share our expertise in this area. Working together we can crack the supply chain of counterfeit music and help ensure that artists, composers and record producers are not ripped off by these organised gangs.”

The 140,000 counterfeit discs seized in the raid will now be destroyed on the order of the court.



International Recording Industry welcomes groundbreaking agreement in France to help in the fight against internet piracy

The accord backed by French President Sarkozy has been signed in Paris today by music and audiovisual producers, internet service providers and public authorities
London/Brussels, 23rd November 2007

The international recording industry today welcomed a groundbreaking agreement in France which is intended to help in the fight against massive internet music piracy. This agreement provides for the setting up of an independent government body which will operate a system of warnings leading to the suspension or termination of internet subscriptions used for illegal file-sharing.

The Memorandum of Understanding, signed in Paris today by music producers, audiovisual producers, internet service providers and public authorities, involves concrete undertakings by all of the signatories. The agreement is the result of a wide-ranging negotiation on the fight against internet piracy and availability of creative content online, carried out by FNAC Chief Executive Officer, Denis Olivennes, at the request of the French Government.

John Kennedy, Chairman & CEO of IFPI, the organisation representing the recording industry worldwide, said: “This is the single most important initiative to help win the war on online piracy that we have seen so far. President Sarkozy has shown leadership and vision. He has recognised the importance that the creative industries play in contemporary western economies. The winners will be French music, French employees and French music fans. By requiring ISPs to play a role in the fight against piracy, President Sarkozy has set an example to others of how to ensure that the creative industries remain strong in difficult markets so that they can remain major economic and cultural contributors to society.

“It was an inspired idea of the President to appoint Denis Olivennes to try and find a solution to these problems. The mission was accomplished speedily, with a minimum of fuss, with proper consultation and most importantly of all, decisively. By ensuring that all parties compromised their positions, Monsieur Olivennes has laid the foundation for a major lasting contribution to French culture and the French economy.”

Under the terms of the agreement, access providers have committed to experimenting with technologies to filter out infringing content on their networks. Record producers have undertaken to make a special effort in favour of interoperability, particularly with regard to music catalogue produced in France. The independent government body will publish monthly the results of its anti-piracy actions so the effectiveness of the measures can be assessed.