HOME-BASED MOVIE PIRATE CONVICTED
9 January 2009
download as PDFSYDNEY - On 8 January, at Campbelltown Local Court, Sydney, 43 year old Leslie Flood from Ingleburn was sentenced in relation to copyright offences. He was fined $3,500 and placed on an 18-month good behaviour bond.
The charges arose from a 2 April 2008 raid by NSW Police on his western Sydney residence. Assisted by investigators from the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT), police seized over 5,000 illegally copied movies and television shows, including many titles that had yet to be officially released for sale.
Also seized during the raid were 16 DVD-R burners, four printers used to print fake DVD jacket covers, and blank DVD-Rs for burning pirated movies.
Commenting on the conviction, Neil Gane, Director of Operations for AFACT said: “This man’s conviction marks the successful conclusion of excellent work by the NSW Police. Legitimate Australian businesses are facing a serious threat from these illegal movie operations so the end of this particular operation is good news for cinemas and DVD sales and rental businesses in western Sydney."
Penalties for copyright crimes are a maximum of $60,500 and/or 5 years’ jail per offence.
About AFACT
AFACT works closely with industry, government, police and educational institutions to address copyright theft and protect the interests of the film and television industry as well as the interests of Australian movie fans.
In 2008, state and federal police conducted 51 raids involving movie piracy and seized 544,697 pirated DVDs. They also seized 488 burners capable of producing 12 million pirated DVDs a year with a potential street value of over $61million.
AFACT acts on behalf of the 50,000 Australians directly impacted by copyright theft including independent cinemas, video rental stores and film and television producers across the country. AFACT has its own anti-piracy hotline: 1800 251 996.
Contact:
For interviews with Neil Gane, AFACT, contact:
Dave Harding: (02) 9997 8011
After hours: 0431 858 502
info@afact.com.au
www.afact.com.au
