London - July 26, 2002
The international recording industry today raised the
alarm at new European Commission figures showing seizures of pirate discs at
the EU's external borders soared by 349% to more than 40 million items in
2001. Pirate CDs, a huge illegal business linked with serious international
organised crime, account for nearly half the EU's estimated 2 billion Euro
pirate and counterfeiting business.
IFPI, the organisation representing the international recording industry,
applauded Europe's customs officers for their success in helping to combat the
sharp increase in the pirate trade. IFPI praised a European Commission
proposal that will encourage cooperation between industry and customs
authorities in the fight against pirate imports into the EU. And it called
for progress to be stepped up on the proposed Enforcement Directive that would
provide tougher EU-wide penalties against rampant piracy within the EU's own
borders.
The report on counterfeiting and piracy issued by the European Commission
today includes the following:
- CDs (audio, games, software), DVDs and cassettes are the
fastest-growing category of pirate goods, accounting for 42% of the total
seized for 2001.
- A number of customs investigations show links between piracy and
certain terrorist networks.
- The Commission and EU Member States are considering legislative
amendments to combat the trade in pirate goods more effectively by encouraging
greater cooperation between industry and customs authorities.
- The Commission will be proposing a Directive this year to harmonise
Member State legislation on enforcement of intellectual property rights (the
Enforcement Directive).
IFPI Chairman and CEO Jay Berman said: "These figures are profoundly worrying
because they confirm that counterfeiting and piracy in Europe is far worse
today than it has ever been. At the same time we welcome the efforts of the
Commission to improve its customs laws, and we are extremely appreciative of
the professionalism of customs officers on the ground.
"Seizing pirate goods at the borders, however, is just one part of the fight
against piracy. It is crucial also to strengthen anti-piracy enforcement
across Europe, through adequate civil and criminal penalties across the
continent. This is what we hope the Commission will achieve via its proposed
Enforcement Directive."
IFPI coordinates the global fight against piracy on behalf of a membership of
more than 1500 record companies worldwide. It has a 50-strong global
anti-piracy team, which works in close cooperation with government enforcement
authorities and customs across the world.
For further information contact: Adrian Strain or Fiona Harley at IFPI
Secretariat, tel: +44 20 7878 7900 or Francine Cunningham, IFPI European Regional
Office, tel: +32 2 511 9208.