Latest press releases - Anti-Piracy Unit

15 November 2007

Four men sentenced to jail for counterfeiting CDs and DVDs

Four men were sentenced jail terms after they were found guilty of manufacturing and selling counterfeit CDs and DVDs by Hull Court on Tuesday 13 November 2007.

The jail sentences ranged from 6 – 18 months with a total of 96 months handed to the four men. They were ordered to pay a total of £24,000 for costs and £4,000 worth of fines and received curfew and residency orders.

This was the result of an investigation that launched in 2005 by Hull Trading Standards into counterfeit music CDs and film DVDs that were being manufactured and sold in Hull. 

The business premises under suspicion was called Oscars Media Distribution Limited and legitimately sold computer consumables to both the trade and members of the public. 

Surveillance of the premises was carried out over a three month period identified four main individuals connected with the business being David O’Donnell a director of the company, Ian Tichopad, an employee and two other men called John Bennett and Graham Jones.

In July 2005 co-ordinated raids of four homes of the individuals and the trading premises were carried out by trading standards officers, Humberside Police and the MCPS Anti-Piracy Unit - the organisation that monitors the illegal use of the works of composers and songwriters. 

Items seized during the raid included copying equipment and over 10,000 infringing discs and the four men were arrested.

In October 2007 the case was heard in Hull Court and on Tuesday 13 November the four men were handed down their sentences for counterfeiting crimes.

A spokesperson for the MCPS Anti-Piracy Unit said: ‘Buying pirated music costs us all in the long run. Piracy takes money out of the economy – money that could otherwise be spent on improving our communities.’

‘Anybody with information regarding counterfeiting activities can phone the MCPS Anti-Piracy Unit on 0207 306 4053.’

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PRESS CONTACT:  Catherine George, 020 7306 4777,
press@mcps-prs-alliance.co.uk 

EDITORS NOTES:
About MCPS - The Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society (MCPS) is a not-for-profit organisation that ensures its 17,000 composer, songwriter and music publisher members are paid royalties when the music they have created is recorded; CDs, DVDs, downloads, computer games and everything in between. MCPS works in an operational alliance with PRS – the Performing Right Society (the MCPS-PRS Alliance) - creating a future for music. www.mcps.co.uk   

About the MCPS Anti-Piracy Unit - Working alongside UK enforcement agencies, the MCPS Anti-Piracy Unit investigates infringements of MCPS members' copyrights.