14 DAY TRIAL // The Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) has been launched in the United Kingdom. The event has been marked with the arrests of two Birmingham individuals accused of selling counterfeit DVDs.
The suspects, two men aged 28 and 29, are said to have imported thousands of counterfeit DVDs worth around £40,000 ($64,800 / €47,700). They've attempted to sell pirated copies of titles such as CSI, Vampire Diaries and Game of Thrones as legitimate products.
The alleged pirates were taken in for questioning.
As far as the PIPCU is concerned, the new unit has received an initial funding of £2.56 million ($4 million / €3 million) for a period of two years. A total of 19 officers based at the City of London Police Economic Crime Directorate are tasked with tackling online intellectual property crimes.
“The world of crime is constantly evolving and the formation of the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit is further evidence that police, Government and industry are committed to protecting the UK from both established and emerging threats, many of which are now operating from online platforms,” City of London Police Commissioner Adrian Leppard commented.
“Intellectual property crime is already costing our economy hundreds of millions of pounds a year and placing thousands of jobs under threat, and left unchecked and free to feed on new technology could destroy some of our most creative and productive industries,” Leppard added.
“Launching PIPCU we are making a statement of intent and sending out a clear warning to organised crime that the UK has just become a more hostile place for those who seek to make criminal capital on the back of others’ honest endeavours.”
The PIPCU will try to influence the online behavior not only of consumers, but also of site owners and service providers.