The stakes moved up in the fight against music piracy in Romania,
when IFPI today announced a Reward of US$10,000 for information
leading to the arrest and conviction of one or more of the attackers of
Sorin Golea, the Sony licensee in Romania.
On 10 July, Sorin Golea was beaten and threatened with a gun by 2
assailants. Golea sustained a broken nose and 2 lost teeth, and
required hospital treatment as a result of the attack. The incident
came just a day after Mr Golea had filed a complaint with the
Romanian Copyright Office about the sale of pirate cassettes of the
"World Cup 1998" album, and the two incidents are, therefore,
thought to be linked.
If the attack on Mr Golea was designed to try to prevent further action
against piracy, it has had the opposite effect, putting piracy in
Romania firmly in spotlight. IFPI, as the international organisation
representing over 1,300 record companies world-wide, has deplored
the attack, and has called on the Romanian Authorities to take
immediate and strong action against piracy. In order to assist the
Authorities in this, IFPI has offered the reward of US$10,000.
Romania's legitimate music market, worth some US$16 million in
1997, is still massively underdeveloped. The market has been
severely hampered by excessively high piracy levels, estimated at
about 90% of the total market. Despite this, local and international
record companies are starting to invest in Romania to try to develop
the market. Not only are these companies suffering because of
piracy - the Romanian Government is also losing out in terms of
unpaid taxes.
Speaking about the incident, Iain Grant, IFPI’s Head of Enforcement
said "This attack was clearly linked to Sorin Golea’s complaint
against music piracy. IFPI has been fighting piracy throughout the
world, and our message to anyone producing music illegally in
Romania is that we are now watching more closely than ever. We
urge the Romanian Government to act quickly to stamp out piracy -
and they will then see the benefits which a thriving legitimate music
market can bring to the local economy and local culture.
"IFPI will work closely with the Police to ensure that the attackers are
caught. And I hope that the reward means this happens sooner rather
than later."