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NEWS ARCHIVE
British DJ Arrested On Suspicion of Piracy
The recording industry today welcomed news that the Guardia Civil in Spain have arrested a commercial DJ on suspicion of music piracy.
The British man, a resident of Mallorca, is alleged to have been selling illegal copies of DJ mix albums. The allegations focus on the suspected sales of large numbers of illegal copies of these albums to some of the 200 bars and clubs there.
An internationally-coordinated police operation involved officers from the Organised Crime Group of the Palma Guardia Civil, INTERPOL and the Metropolitan Police. They were helped by teams from Promusicae, BPI and IFPI, representing the recording industry in Spain, the UK and internationally.
The investigations were prompted after Music Factory Entertainment Group, the company behind Mastermix, became aware that its albums were being sold in Mallorca and alerted IFPI.
John Newton, INTERPOL’s Intellectual Property Programme Manager, says: “This was a very simple but very profitable criminal enterprise. The suspect clearly believed that by buying the originals in the UK and selling copies in Spain he would evade detection, a view that turned out to be naïve in the extreme.”
Len Hynds, Head of Enforcement at IFPI, adds: “This illicit enterprise aimed to corner the market on the holiday island, taking several thousand euros per month which by rights should have gone to the independent record label that actually produced the albums. We would like to thank both the Guardia Civil and the Metropolitan Police for their efforts and INTERPOL for coordinating the enquiry.”
Peter Parkin, Chief Executive of Music Factory Entertainment Group, adds: “It is extremely annoying that this man was making money for himself by taking our music and selling copies of it without permission, but we are delighted to now be able to offer legitimate mix albums for bars and clubs in Mallorca to play to attract and retain customers.”
José Luis Pérez Quintero, Director of Investigation at Promusicae, adds: “The hotel and entertainment industry in Spain, specifically nightclubs and bars, is the target market for organised criminal piracy networks who want to make profits by selling other people’s music. The Guardia Civil have shown that they take such criminal activity extremely seriously.”
The British man, a resident of Mallorca, is alleged to have been selling illegal copies of DJ mix albums. The allegations focus on the suspected sales of large numbers of illegal copies of these albums to some of the 200 bars and clubs there.
An internationally-coordinated police operation involved officers from the Organised Crime Group of the Palma Guardia Civil, INTERPOL and the Metropolitan Police. They were helped by teams from Promusicae, BPI and IFPI, representing the recording industry in Spain, the UK and internationally.
The investigations were prompted after Music Factory Entertainment Group, the company behind Mastermix, became aware that its albums were being sold in Mallorca and alerted IFPI.
John Newton, INTERPOL’s Intellectual Property Programme Manager, says: “This was a very simple but very profitable criminal enterprise. The suspect clearly believed that by buying the originals in the UK and selling copies in Spain he would evade detection, a view that turned out to be naïve in the extreme.”
Len Hynds, Head of Enforcement at IFPI, adds: “This illicit enterprise aimed to corner the market on the holiday island, taking several thousand euros per month which by rights should have gone to the independent record label that actually produced the albums. We would like to thank both the Guardia Civil and the Metropolitan Police for their efforts and INTERPOL for coordinating the enquiry.”
Peter Parkin, Chief Executive of Music Factory Entertainment Group, adds: “It is extremely annoying that this man was making money for himself by taking our music and selling copies of it without permission, but we are delighted to now be able to offer legitimate mix albums for bars and clubs in Mallorca to play to attract and retain customers.”
José Luis Pérez Quintero, Director of Investigation at Promusicae, adds: “The hotel and entertainment industry in Spain, specifically nightclubs and bars, is the target market for organised criminal piracy networks who want to make profits by selling other people’s music. The Guardia Civil have shown that they take such criminal activity extremely seriously.”
