MPAA Nabs Illegal DVD Duplication Ring

The MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) continues to ramp up its efforts against piracy - both online and physical. On June 1st, the MPAA announced it would fully finance the purchase and installation of 10 video monitoring devices throughout Los Angeles' fashion district. The effort is part of a larger campaign to tackle rampant DVD piracy in that city.

It appears the MPAA is continuing to ramp up its efforts in Los Angeles, as the trade organization assisted law enforcement officials in the seizure of over 5,000 illegally duplicated DVDs. The raids were conducted in three separate locations.

Each pirate lab had an extensive amount of copying paraphernalia. Police seized shrink wrap machines, computer towers, over 100 DVD burners, DVD media and commercial color printers.

“We are rooting out these DVD thieves one by one and tracking their networks in order to shut down illegal DVD and CD pirate operations,” said John G. Malcolm, Senior Vice President and Director, Worldwide Anti-Piracy Operations, MPAA. “I would like to personally thank both the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Montebello Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit for their instrumental and vigilant pursuit of these thieves. It is my sincere hope that these arrests will send a signal that such crimes will not be tolerated in the Los Angeles area. Those who continue to engage in this illegal behavior are doing so at their peril. We will find you, and you will be caught."

Source: Slyck

This is one case where I actually applaud the MPAA. These guys who have huge operations, copying, selling, and making large sums of money from pirated DVDs, to me, are more detrimental to their industry than the small fry like us who download but don't make any money doing it. Yes, filesharing may be legally wrong, but when you're raking in the bucks doing it, that just makes it more wrong in my mind.