More British Crackdowns on Videogame Pirates

Massive games copying factory busted; as simulataneous raids in the West Midlands clear out a £1million in loot.

A factory suspected of producing thousands of counterfeit video games, film and music - with an estimated street value of £1million ($1.5m) - has been stopped following a raid in the West Midlands.

The raid, in which 30,000 illegally copied discs were seized, was carried out on Friday December 5th at a commercial building in Brierley Hill, West Midlands. Other raids were carried out on the same day in the Sandwell area and the raids were carried out simultaneously.

Recovered were 10,000 blank discs and over 30,000 fraudulent software titles. The haul included at least 9,000 unlawfully copied discs containing videogame titles. Seven computers attached to 35 DVD re-writers, three printers, 19 hard drives, 15 Xbox 360 consoles, two Wii consoles and a number of circumvention devices for 'chipping' games consoles were also recovered. All hardware is being forensically examined.

A number of suspects were arrested but all released on Police bail pending further investigations.

Head of ELSPA's crime unit, John Hillier, said: "Piracy, like that of any other entertainment industry, costs us dear. Making good and inventive games is an expensive and creative process, with some titles today costing £20m or more to develop. To make a quality title involves teams of highly skilled professionals - from programmers and graphic artists to voice actors and musicians. When a pirate sells illegally copied games they undermine the viability, value and creativity of our industry. The worst-case scenario is that pirate activity could cost the jobs of some of the UK's outstanding creative talent and that would be a catastrophe."

This news follows on the heels of British custom officials seizing potentially dangerous pirated Nintendo DS systems. The UK's policy on piracy seems clear.

Courtesy of Barrington Harvey PR.

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