IFPI Press Release, March 24, 1999
March 24, 1999
Ten thousand illegal CDs with a street value of UK £150,000 were seized and two men arrested in raids at a record fair held at the Birmingham NEC last weekend. The operation was a result of close cooperation between enforcement bodies, involving CDs manufactured in Sweden and en route, via the UK, to continental Europe.
The CDs were bootleg live recordings of acts ranging from Nirvana to the Spice Girls. As a result of the raids, involving investigators from the UK and international record industry organisations BPI and IFPI, a German trader was on March 23 charged for importation of illicit recordings and remanded in custody. He will appear in court next week.
Iain Grant, head enforcement for IFPI, said: “This is an excellent example of the international coordination that is now essential in the fight against piracy. We are determined to build on this success by tracking global music pirates wherever they operate.”
David Martin, head of operations at the BPI, said: “I am extremely pleased with the success of these operations which have resulted in the recovery of vast amounts of illegal product. The BPI fully intends to increase surveillance of computer fairs and we welcome the cooperation from our international colleagues of IFPI to achieve this.”
For further information contact:
Adrian Strain: IFPI 44 0171 878 7939
Sarah Roberts: BPI 44 0171 287 4422