On Tuesday, June 21, 2022, two warrants were executed at commercial properties on Indigo Road and Eastham Village Road. A third warrant was served at a Sutherland Drive residence.
PIPCU officers, assisted by the North West Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (NWPIPCU), seized 32,254 counterfeit CDs being sold on Amazon. Amazon’s global Counterfeit Crimes Unit and the British Phonographic Industry identified the CDs as counterfeit and reported them to PIPCU.
PIPCU Police Staff Investigator Andy Cope stated:
Counterfeit CDs can harm legitimate businesses and cause significant losses to artists and the music industry.
“It is also critical for the public to remember that counterfeit goods sales can fund other types of criminal activity, such as modern-day slavery and drug dealing.”
This operation should send a clear message that selling counterfeit goods will not be tolerated.” It also demonstrates the effectiveness of collaboration in combating intellectual property crime, and I’d like to thank Amazon, the British Phonographic Industry, and the NWPIPCU for their assistance.
Director of the Amazon Counterfeit Crimes Unit, Kebharu Smith, stated:
“Amazon will continue to invest and innovate to stay ahead of counterfeiters, allowing customers to shop with confidence in our store.”
We will also continue to work with trade organisations and law enforcement to hold bad actors accountable, as we have done successfully here with the British Phonographic Industry and PIPCU.
“We want to stop them for good, not just chase them away from Amazon.”
According to Paola Monaldi, Head of Content Protection at the British Phonographic Industry:
The BPI applauds PIPCU’s execution of warrants.” Genuine CDs and vinyl are popular among music fans; they are an important way for people to enjoy and give music, as well as for creators to profit.
“Authentic physical formats account for more than 20% of total industry revenue from purchased and streamed music.” However, creators do not profit from counterfeits because the money goes to criminals.
That is why the BPI continues to take action to protect consumers from counterfeit CDs, working closely with law enforcement and in collaboration with online marketplaces such as Amazon.” We are looking forward to the next stage of this investigation, as well as continuing our other efforts to reduce physical infringement in the UK.
Matthew Cope, Deputy Director of IP Enforcement at the Intellectual Property Office, said:
Counterfeit goods like these cause real social and environmental harm, as well as harm to legitimate businesses.” Such goods are frequently defective, undermining consumer confidence and assisting criminals.
The IPO continues to support operational activity to combat the sale of such illicit goods, collaborating with law enforcement and industry to help protect communities from this type of crime.
During the warrants, one man was arrested and later released under investigation.
