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RCMP seize counterfeit movies, games

May 5, 2005
Martin Derbyshire - More from this author

RCMP seized close to $800,000 in counterfeit DVDs, video games and cash in raids at Markham's Pacific Mall last week.

More than 30,000 music and movie DVDs, 3,000 optical game discs, 1,600 multi-game cartridges and approximately $36,000 in Canadian currency were seized.

The investigation is ongoing, but no immediate arrests were made, considering many of the businesses involved were unaware they were selling knock-offs, police said.

"The theft of intellectual property is a serious crime which negatively impacts legitimate businesses by unfair competition," RCMP Const. Judy Laurence said.

"The reason the RCMP undertook this initiative is two-fold. It sends a message to counterfeiters that their actions will not be tolerated and it also gives business owners who may not have known that they were breaking the law by selling counterfeit products, the chance to discontinue their criminal activity."

Pacific Mall is well known as a hotbed for knock-offs, York Regional Police said.

"Asia is a huge source for these kinds of things and obviously Pacific Mall caters to that clientele, so it's not surprising those kinds of things are being sold out of there," said Det.-Const. Chris Palmer of the York Regional Police major frauds bureau.

Entertainment industry organizations helped the RCMP with searches to ensure the immediate identification of counterfeits.

"Motion picture piracy costs the movie industry $3.5 to $4 billion (US) a year worldwide and this activity presents a tremendous loss of taxable revenue for legitimate Canadian businesses," said Serge Corriveau, vice-president of anti-piracy operations for the Canadian motion picture distributors association.

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no immediate arrests were made, considering many of the businesses involved were unaware they were selling knock-offs

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