Global recording industry anti-piracy investigators meet in Amsterdam

September 25, 2002

Government officials, law enforcement personnel and record label executives will today join anti-piracy investigators from over 40 countries in Amsterdam, for the start of the international recording industry's three day annual anti-piracy conference.

The conference theme of 'working in partnership' will bring together national police and customs representatives, senior government delegations from China, Russia and Taiwan, along with IFPI and national music piracy investigators, and other brand owners and rightsholders.

Piracy is the greatest threat facing the music industry today. It hampers the ability of record companies to invest in music, particularly in signing and developing new artists. It is also damaging to countries' economies, affecting jobs, investment and growth.

The global pirate market for music was worth US$4.3 billion in 2001. Pirate units totalled 1.9 billion - that means that almost 40% of cassettes and discs around the world are pirate copies - the highest proportion ever recorded by IFPI.

Last year, sale of pirate discs leapt by 48%, led by a massive surge in CD-R piracy. Seizures of burners used to make CD-R copies have risen in the major problem territories of Latin America, USA, Italy and Spain.

Music pirates are increasingly using the CD-R format: in contrast to the large investment needed to set up a CD manufacturing operation in the past, pirate CD-R labs can be set up with only a few, widely available CD-R burners.

Organised crime has used its involvement in pirate music to fund other, criminal activities such as the drug trade, illegal weapons and money laundering.

The recording industry is responding proactively. IFPI has set-up a worldwide anti-piracy network, numbering some 250 - including anti-piracy specialists at national groups. A core team of some 50 investigators and analysts, many with a police background, use their extensive investigative experience to tackle the problem, backed by sophisticated forensic facilities and analytical techniques.

The fight against music piracy and organised crime critically needs support from law enforcement authorities and governments. Recent examples in support of the industry's efforts include:

The Enforcement Directive, currently working its way through the legislative process, which will improve cross-border coordination between member states' enforcement agencies. It will also harmonise civil penalties for intellectual property offences
International police association Interpol's recent creation of a dedicated unit to combat intellectual property crime

IFPI head of enforcement Iain Grant says: "We continue to uncover major links to serious and organised crime involvement in music piracy internationally. A top priority for us in fighting music piracy is the ongoing and valuable partnerships we are developing with law enforcement authorities worldwide."

Co-hosting the conference with IFPI is Dutch recorded music association NVPI and Brein, the Netherlands anti-piracy body. Brein works on anti-piracy programmes not only of music but also of films and games. In the process it unites rightsholders across the entertainment industry in the battle against piracy.

"We cooperate closely with the Dutch government and law enforcement bodies," says Tim Kuik, managing director of Brein. "Also on the international front there is close cooperation with other anti-piracy organisations such as IFPI, which has a fantastic forensic, analytical and operational capacity at its disposal."

IFPI represents the recording industry worldwide, with more than 1,500 record company members in over 75 countries and has affiliated national associations in 46 countries.

For further information please contact Fiona Harley at IFPI on:
+44 (0)20 7878 7900