AfterDawn: News

UK to tackle counterfeiting and piracy

The UK Government is to fund 4,500 new copyright police that will perform raids and seizures against those selling pirate and counterfeit goods. More raids and tougher action has been promised to begin by April. "From 6 April, there'll be an additional 4,500 pairs of Trading Standards eyes watching counterfeiters and pirates," said Malcolm Wicks, Trade and Industry Minister.

He added: "This will mean more surprise raids at markets and boot sales, more intelligence, more prosecutions, and more criminals locked up." The move has come as the Department of Trade and Industry passed responsibility for enforcement of copyright protection to Trading Standards Officers.



The DTI has granted more power to trading standards officers under Section 107A of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, along with £5 million to boost the fight against copyright infringement. Section 107A gives officers the power to make "test purchases" and to enter premises to seize documents and goods.

"Crimelords currently earn fortunes peddling fake goods, bootleg CDs and DVDs through car boot sales and other outlets," Trading Standards Institute chief executive Ron Gainsford said. "People should realize that the proceeds from the sale of these goods are used to finance a whole range of criminal activities."

Source:
The Register

Written by: James Delahunty @ 13 Feb 2007 14:42

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• 14 comments

• 5c4ry_0p

  Oh great...more police that should be out there catching the REAL criminals,wasting their time on a war they will never win...

  13.2.2007 15:43 #1

• BludRayne

  Wow, how much is this gonna cost them.

  14.2.2007 07:16 #2

• hughjars

  More of my tax pounds being spent in support of keeping the already most wealthy individuals and businesses wealthy.
  
  Wow, how great is that?

  14.2.2007 10:54 #3

• borhan9

  At least their giving us a challenge.

  14.2.2007 14:25 #4

• baldy43

  Here in Australia if you own an original copy you can copy it if you are able to get around all of the safe guards that are built into the game.

  15.2.2007 18:40 #5

• daymo

  To be honest,I think this is a good thing,Trading standards will not be chasing those who download films and games for personal use.They will be after the crime gangs who are generally a very nasty bunch.

  15.2.2007 19:39 #6

• grayme

  First off it is one thing to argue that by downloading you are getting something for free that you would not have bought anyway; but sell the item cannot be defended. However,
  
  Originally posted by Trading Standards Institute chief executive Ron Gainsford:"Crimelords currently earn fortunes peddling fake goods, bootleg CDs and DVDs through car boot sales and other outlets. People should realize that the proceeds from the sale of these goods are used to finance a whole range of criminal activities." This argument always comes out and for me loses them credibility. When they use it, can't they explain why drug dealers can't make enough money dealing drugs that they need that part of the business subsidised by selling fake Harry Potters? (I'm not alone in this query as a recent comedian joked in the same vein on a recent "Mock the Week" on BBC).

  15.2.2007 22:40 #7

• falonga

  grrrrrrreat, being a UK citizen myself im absolutely appalled that more of my taxes are going towards useless police activity, when they should be out after the real criminals.
  
  they should allocate more police and police centers at fighting gang crimes, and drug related crimes not piracy!!! for instance i live in quite a small town and our murder rate is considerably high, when are real crimes going to be sorted instead of petty counterfeits

  15.2.2007 23:06 #8

• atso1

  Completely misleading news release
  
  1]these are not police, they are council officers
  
  2]4500 is the number of existing Trading Standards Staff who will now get the same powers (and 'duty to enforce') that they do under Trade Marks - No new posts will be created.
  
  Ref another comment these activities are used to launder drugs money, not as funding.

  16.2.2007 06:21 #9

• atso1

  Originally posted by falonga:grrrrrrreat, being a UK citizen myself im absolutely appalled that more of my taxes are going towards useless police activity, when they should be out after the real criminals.
  
  they should allocate more police and police centers at fighting gang crimes, and drug related crimes not piracy!!! for instance i live in quite a small town and our murder rate is considerably high, when are real crimes going to be sorted instead of petty counterfeitsAll the pressure for this has come from industry who prefer to see public money spent on enforcement rather than take legal action themselves

  16.2.2007 06:34 #10

• dbminter

  I don't live in the UK, but, there's one particular statement that bothers me. The one about "monitoring" car boot sales for pirates. The only way that could practically be done is to infer that every person running such a sale is already a pirate. Thus, officers would be employed for just standing around, waiting for these sales, rushing over and demanding to examine all goods being sold for possibly being pirated. More cases of "Go ahead and assume everyone's a pirate and then let the lawsuits sort them out" mentality?

  16.2.2007 10:16 #11

• johnnysed

  lol, you lot make me laugh - there is a difference between you downloading stuff for free and you trying to re-sell it on the open market, but if you are sad enough not to see it then poor you, coz you will all get caught in the end.

  25.2.2007 15:17 #12

• falonga

  johnnysed
  your comment makes no sense, who said that??
  everybody knows that re-selling copyrighted material is illegal, just like file sharing actually is too. but everybody also knows that trading copied films etc will land you in prison sooner or later.
  
  yes there obviously is a difference between downloading a film, and copying it to DVD by the 100s and selling. but both acts are illegal, and the UK government find it a hell of a lot easier to get their hands on the pirates and not the 13year old, spotty teen downloading films in his bedroom

  25.2.2007 22:14 #13

• atso1

  "don't live in the UK, but, there's one particular statement that bothers me. The one about "monitoring" car boot sales for pirates. The only way that could practically be done is to infer that every person running such a sale is already a pirate. Thus, officers would be employed for just standing around, waiting for these sales, rushing over and demanding to examine all goods being sold for possibly being pirated. More cases of "Go ahead and assume everyone's a pirate and then let the lawsuits sort them out" mentality?"
  
  Maybe some misunderstanding here. The people running the boot sales don't generally engage in selling - they merely hire out pitches in fields/playgrounds etc for hundreds of other people. Most go unmonitored because 4500 officers nationally just ain't enough to cover everything (Trademarks, copyright, consumer safety, weights and measures, consumer credit, and others, plus - outside the big cities - animal health, food standards, petroleum licencing(safety again)..... well, see www.tradingstandards.gov.uk for a list).

  26.3.2007 12:50 #14