COURT: CD pirate is spared prison
A MAN who copied DVDs and CDs which could have cost the music and film industry more than £53,000 has been spared a jail sentence.
A MAN who copied DVDs and CDs which could have cost the music and film industry more than 53,000 has been spared a jail sentence.
David Brady was told he must work 100 hours to benefit the community after he produced the counterfeit goods at his home in Whittlesey.
At a hearing yesterday, Peterborough magistrates told 34-year-old Brady they had considered sending him to prison for the crimes.
Instead, Brady, of Horsegate Lane, was ordered to pay 250 court costs and forfeit his computer equipment and blank CDs and DVDs to police.
Cambridgeshire County Council Trading Standards officers, who took the case to court, praised the magistrates' decision.
Leon Livermore, head of investigations and inquiries at Cambridgeshire Trading Standards said: "We welcome the sentence. At least he will be putting something back into the community."
Trading Standards officers and police swooped on Brady's home in September last year, after receiving a tip-off.
More than 570 counterfeit CDs and 133 DVDs, ranging from children's films to pornography, were found at his home, along with a range of carrying cases, a price list, and order forms listing 3,000 CD titles.
The goods and computer equipment were all seized and sent to the Federation Against Corporate Theft, the British Phonographic Industry and EMI, where they were found to be carrying false trademarks and certificates.
The court heard how it cost Brady 80p to produce the counterfeit materials, which could have been sold for up to 16.
The scale of goods found was estimated to cost the entertainment industry more than 53,000.
Brady, who has three children, admitted 10 counts of creating the false trademarks, and told the court the profits helped fund his hobby of collecting music.
Trading Standards bosses said that was no excuse.
Mr Livermore said: "The amount seized would have been a very profitable hobby for him.
"The illegal counterfeiting of DVDs and CDs has strong links with organised crime and terrorism as well as having a major detrimental effect on the entertainment industry."
He added: "Cambridgeshire Trading Standards is sending out a warning – whether you are selling counterfeit goods to friends, or as a business – we will find out and we will prosecute."
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Wednesday 17 March 2010
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