New UK Copyright Constables
p2pnet.net news:- The UK government is firmly in lock-step with the entertainment and software cartels, going so far as to splash £5 million in taxpayer money to help guard corporate interests and protect cartel bottom lines.
Starting in April, Britain will fund 4,500, that’s four thousand, five hundred, Copyright Constables to conduct raids, says Out-Law.com, going on:
“The move comes as the Department of Trade and Industry passes responsibility for copyright enforcement to Trading Standards Officers. As recommended by December’s Gowers Review of Intellectual Property, the DTI has granted Trading Standards Officers new powers under Section 107A of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. It will also give £5 million to law enforcement agencies to tackle copyright infringement.”
The Gowers Review, carried out by ex-Financial Times editor Andrew Gowers for the Treasury last year, suggested the extension of Trading Standards Officers’ powers, says the story.
And as Chris Ovenden pointed out, Gowers also recommended that file sharers be lumped in with forgers and jailed for up to 10 years.
“From 6 April, there’ll be an additional 4,500 pairs of Trading Standards eyes watching counterfeiters and pirates,” Out-Law.com has Malcolm Wicks, trade and industry minister, saying, also stating, “This will mean more surprise raids at markets and boot sales, more intelligence, more prosecutions and more criminals locked up.”
Ron Gainsford, chief executive of the Trading Standards Institute, also brings “crimelords,” no less, into it, echoing a well used, and unproven, entertainment cartel line.
Crooks, “currently earn fortunes peddling fake goods, bootleg CDs and DVDs through car boot sales and other outlets,” according to Gainsford. “People should realise that the proceeds from the sale of these goods are used to finance a whole range of criminal activities.
“IP criminals should know that the UK is not a safe place. Their risk of 10 years’ imprisonment and unlimited fines is very real and from this date forward a markedly higher risk.”
The story doesn’t say if the new publicly funded Copyright Constables will work with, or for, the special Metropolitan Police squad “partnered” with the entertainment cartels’ FACT, “dedicated to combating movie piracy and those responsible for the manufacture and distribution of pirated films”.
Also See:
Out-Law.com – New copyright police to increase raids and seizures in UK, February 12, 2007
Metropolitan Police squad – FACT is a farce, February 23, 2007
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February 12th, 2007 at 11:55 am
You want to know then why not try asking questions under Freedom of Information Act.
Anyone, anywhere in world can ask questions to any UK government organisation and they have to answer within 20 days.
Trading Standards Officers by County/District Councils and not the police.
http://www.met.police.uk/foi/contacts.htm
http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/
http://www.cfoi.org.uk/
http://www.foi.gov.uk/
http://www.ico.gov.uk/what_we_cover/freedom_of_information.aspx
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts2000/20000036.htm
February 12th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
“IP criminals should know that the UK is not a safe place”
Prove this! Let Arrest the EMI executives them!
February 12th, 2007 at 1:50 pm
Well, to me this is good news. Anyone making money selling counterfeit DVDs and CDs deserves to get caught/fined/jailed.
February 12th, 2007 at 2:19 pm
No, actually it’s bad news. Law enforcement, like any other government agency has limited resources, so the money to pay for the new copywrite cops has to come from somewhere else, say the anti terrorist unit, for example. Either that or taxes need to be raised; you really want to pay more taxes for copyright cops?
February 12th, 2007 at 3:35 pm
Nope, but it’s not like a very good job is being done in the fight against violent crime/vandalism/terrorism/all the other problems plaguing the UK right now. So the country will be in a mess no matter what. These people are committing a crime, and they should be punished. I am in full support of filesharing, don’t get me wrong, but this is not filesharing. This is making a profit off of stuff anyone can easily get for free. I guess the problem is too many people are stupid enough to buy this stuff.
February 12th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
“UK citizens should know that the UK is not a safe place. Their risk of 10 years’ imprisonment and unlimited fines is very real and from this date forward a markedly higher risk.”
February 13th, 2007 at 3:22 am
But the Gowers review says that filesharers should be treated the same way as counterfeiters.
February 14th, 2007 at 4:15 am
Entirely misleading story – 5m ukp will buy around 140 pairs of eyes – all presuming the money is spent on this purpose [and 140 new officers are available] – the money is not ring fenced and could be spent by local government on any purpose.
http://www.scotss.org.uk
http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk
February 15th, 2007 at 11:02 am
Agreed. 4500 is the existing TS staff level and this will be lumped on top of existing work. (e.g. the estimated 1,000,000 consumer compalints every year)
February 15th, 2007 at 11:04 am
Please, please please make sure that the information your are demanding is not already publically available! ãthousands of public money are wasted on having to answer queries under FOI simply becasue people are to lazy to check.