MUMBAI: Eight people were rounded up after a raid on a residential premises yielded a huge amount of pirated video material in Deptford, London recently.

The joint operation between Lewisham Trading Standards, Met Police, FACT, IFPI and BPI, conducted on 22 February 2007, was carried out following suspicions that counterfeit DVDs and music CDs were being manufactured and distributed from the premises.

The operation resulted in the seizure of a large quantity of equipment and materials, including 22 DVD burners used for multiple DVD and CD copying, Commercial colour printers connected to commercial printing ink reservoirs, 7,000 completed discs in bags and stored ready for collection and supply, 10,000 blank DVD and CD discs ready for burning and 10,000 sleeves and several sheets of laser copier paper.

A quantity of unclassified ‘obscene bestiality’ titles were also confiscated, say reports.

The Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) director general Kieron Sharp added, “Counterfeiting is detrimental to the profitability and viability of everyone involved in the film industry, including those small businesses selling and hiring out the genuine product. FACT continues to work with local agencies to help deal with this problem that brings crime to local communities. The public should note that this is a crime that is controlled at the top level by serious and organised crime.”