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Raid Seizes 'Largest-Ever Haul' Of Game Copying Devices In UK
by Eric Caoili
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February 2, 2009
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A raid conducted in Camden, London uncovered over 50,000 illegal game copying devices -- the 'largest-ever haul' of game copying devices seized in the region according to UK trade body ELSPA (Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association).
The raid was carried out on January 29th by Camden Trading Standards officers, accompanied by the Metropolitan Poice and an ELSPA investigator. The officers also discovered counterfeit games and peripherals for Wii, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3.
The company, which was not named for legal reasons, sold its pirated goods online, despite receiving seizure notices from HMRC (Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs) detailing copyright and trademark infringements for packages seized in the past year.
It is believed that the company imported more than 38,000 illegal game copying devices, 32,000 of which were shipped in since just December 2008. ELSPA investigators made several test purchases from the business' website as part of their efforts to combat IP theft.
A "fully operational production line" was revealed at the company, where mail sacks were found filled with packages containing illegal game copying devices to be distributed to customers across Europe.
"Our investigators are out in force working with Trading Standards Departments across the UK, combing everything from Sunday car-boot sales to auction websites in search of counterfeiters," says ELSPA managing director Michael Rawlinson. "The devices found in Camden are highly illegal and offenders caught trading such items face criminal prosecution."
"ELSPA would like to thank Camden's Trading Standards department and all other attending authorities for their efforts in stamping out this criminal activity which ultimately threatens thousands of jobs in the country's games industry."
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Counterfeit games I can see hauling them in for. I don't know if I consider third-party peripherals to be particularly illegal though (of terrible quality, generally, but not illegal).