Victorian Police along with Australian Federal Police and investigators from the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft raided several houses in Melbourne’s western suburbs this week, shutting down Australia’s largest ever piracy operation.
Victorian Police along with Australian Federal Police and investigators from the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft raided several houses in Melbourne’s western suburbs this week, shutting down Australia’s largest-ever piracy operation.
A home in Melbourne’s Sunshine North was initially raided, netting over 250,000 pirated DVDs and 100 DVD burners. Information gathered at the scene led to raids on a further two ‘burner labs’ and the seizure of another 150,000 pirated DVDs and 70 burners.
According to the Victorian Police, the 170 burners operated 10 hours per day, seven days per week, and were capable of producing over 4 million DVDs with an estimated street value of US$12 million.
Movies seized included the blockbuster action movies “I am Legend” and “American Gangster,” both of which have only just been released in Australian cinemas.
“This case marks the start of AFACT’s major crackdown on burner labs. The size of this illegal operation provides a clear example of the economic damage movie pirate syndicates wreak on legitimate Australian businesses producing and distributing movies and TV shows,” said Neil Gane, director of operations at AFACT, in the statement released by Victorian police.
“Movie pirate syndicates have no qualms about where they operate. They will bring their illegal operations to your neighborhood unless you put a stop to it.”
The statement quoted information relating to an independent report conducted by LEK Consulting, which estimated that movie piracy cost the Australian film industry $233 million in potential revenue in 2005.
