Music piracy fighters gather in Dublin for global enforcement conference

July 1, 2004

More than 150 law enforcement officers, anti-piracy investigators, record company executives and other intellectual property rights organisations are meeting in Dublin for the international recording industry's World Anti-Piracy Enforcement Conference.

The three-day conference features guest speakers John Newton, Crime Intelligence Officer from international police organisation Interpol and Maciej Lubik, Regional Intelligence Liaison Officer (RILO) for Central and Eastern Europe from the World Customs Organisation. Close cooperation with the law enforcement community remains a core priority for the recording industry in combating the global piracy problem, which is a US$4 billion illegal industry backed by organised crime.

IFPI's latest report on the links between music piracy and organised crime was released at the conference. Examples of recent cases include:

• The arrest of 21 people in Italy running a major piracy network; including people involved in the importation of blank CD-Rs from S.E. Asia
  
  
• The discovery of a clandestine plant in Russia capable of producing 18 million DVDs a year. A haul of 800 stampers - used in the mass production of CDs - was also found
  
  
• A trail of corruption over the illicit importation of over a million blank discs in Paraguay which led to the resignation of the Minister of the Interior and heads of Police and Customs
  
  
• In the Philippines, the dismantling of a major CD-R piracy ring based in nine separate locations and estimated to be supplying over half of all the pirate music in Manila

With two out of every five physical recordings an illegal copy, music piracy is the biggest threat faced by the worldwide recording industry. It undermines 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. In 2003, the value of the pirate market reached a new high of US$4.6 billion (approx. Euros 4.1 billion).

IFPI and its national affiliates have a global anti-piracy team of over 200 investigators and analysts, made up largely of ex-law enforcement personnel. The industry uses a unique forensic laboratory that traces the manufacturing source of pirate CDs to source factories. Working with law enforcement and customs, the industry has helped in the seizure of around 50 million discs annually.

Iain Grant, head of IFPI's Enforcement department said: "The conference brings together the main players in the fight against music piracy. It is an opportunity to assess, plan and review our global enforcement strategies. We are delighted to see here so many representatives from police, customs and other enforcement organisations. The close links the industry maintains with law enforcement authorities are vital to the ongoing fight against piracy."

Keynote addresses at the conference come from Pat Brehony, Detective Superintendent of the Irish police service (GARDA) National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and Army General Anatoly S. Koulikov, Deputy Chairman of the Law Enforcement Committee of Russia's State Dumas. Russia has Europe's highest domestic piracy level of 66% and is one of IFPI's priority countries.

Opening the conference, Rick Dobbis, President of Sony Music International called for sustained lobbying of governments that continue to fail to properly enforce intellectual property rights, and highlighted the need for strong cooperation with allied industries.

Also attending the conference, organised by IFPI and hosted by Irish recording industry association IRMA, are police and customs officers from around the world and representatives of other rights holders' organisations including authors, film, business software and games industries.

For further information please contact IFPI Communications or IRMA at local number tel: +353 1 618 5652 for the duration of the conference, or the press office in London on tel: +44 (0)20 7878 7900

Note to editors:

GLOBAL PIRACY: THE FACTS

• Commercial music piracy continues to be a huge worldwide problem. The global pirate market is estimated to have totalled 1.8 billion units in 2002. Sales of pirate units in 2003 were estimated to be US$4.6 billion (approx. Euros 4.1 billion) at pirate prices
  
  
• Two in five recordings (all physical formats) sold worldwide are illegal
  
  
• Piracy attacks local repertoire and the development of new artists: local releases and investment in local artists are the first victims of piracy, particularly with the growing CD-R problem, which means domestic as well as international repertoire is vulnerable
  
  
• Much of the global pirate CD trade is backed by organised crime: recent examples in Brazil, Paraguay, Italy, Spain, China
  
  
• Global disc production overcapacity is feeding piracy. The estimated pressing capacity of the top ten disc-producing countries outstrips legitimate demand by over 20 times