London, England - January 10, 2003
Unique tapes of historic Beatles recording sessions
have been recovered in an anti-piracy crackdown by UK and Dutch police,
working with investigators from the international recording industry.
The tapes, known as the "Get Back Sessions" were recorded in 1969 during the
making of the album "Let it Be". They disappeared shortly after the sessions,
and since then have only been heard via pirate copies that were made widely
available across Europe and the USA.
Investigations by IFPI and BPI, the organisations that spearhead the recording
industry's anti-piracy fight internationally and in the UK, today culminated
in a series of raids in Holland and the South East of England by City of
London Police and their Dutch counterparts FIOD-ECD. The investigations had
started after BPI found pirate copies of the rare recordings in previous
anti-piracy operations in the UK.
Five hundred original reel-to-reel tapes belonging to the Beatles were seized,
and six suspects have been arrested for theft and handling stolen goods.
Detective Inspector Paul Johnston of the Central Detective Unit, City of
London Police, said: "This is a good example of how an international
multi-agency approach by both the private sector and police agencies can
combat offences of this nature. Enquiries are continuing".
David Munns, Vice-Chairman of EMI Recorded Music and a member of IFPI's Main
Board, said: "Music piracy is a serious crime. EMI will support all efforts
to defend the intellectual property of our artists and of producers."
Jay Berman, Chairman and CEO of IFPI, said: "We applaud this exemplary police
operation, which reflects the extraordinary level of international
coordination that is needed to tackle the sophisticated cross-border
strategies of today's organised music pirates."
For further information contact Adrian Strain, IFPI Communications, tel: +44 (0) 20 7878 7939;
Julian Goodchild, City of London Police +44 (0)20 7601 2222