Video piracy ‘mushroomed’

Press, 19 March 1988, Page 3

Video piracy ‘mushroomed’

By GLEN PERKINSON Video piracy in Christchurch has mushroomed and is costing the city’s legitimate retailers millions of dollars, the New Zealand Film and Video Security Office asserts.

The volume of illegal tapes in the city was far in, excess of that in other areas, said the office’s investigator, Mr Brian Wilkinson, yesterday.

The office was about to "get heavy” with video racketeers and those caught faced fines of as much as $lO,OOO and prison terms up to 10 years. ! The office knew of “several”! outlets deliberately flouting the law and Mr Wilkinson would visit

those people while in Christchurch. Mr Wilkinson said the city’s video market was being cheated out of more than 15 per cent of business by the pirates.

The office intended cracking down in three areas of illegal activity. • Illegal copying for hire and sale.

• Importing videos from Australia and elsewhere for hire and sale.

• Motels showing either pirated or parallel imported tapes on inhouse systems.

Mr Wilkinson said he was surprised at the extent of criminal activity in the video market in the city. It had reached "immense” proportions since his ■ last visit several

mohths ago. Parallel importing meant iNew Zealanders going overseas and buying cheaper! pre-recorded tapes and then hiring or selling them here.

Service station§\ and dairies i were the worst offenders in this case, he said.

In one morning he encountered many illegal tapes in two service stations; and several corner stores. (The office estimates 15 per cent of New Zealand's video tape rental stock is parallel imported but in Christchurch the volume is I “far in excess of that.”

“The:' shops that are playing the game and should j be getting hires

are being adversely affected. The illegal! tapes are taking away ! more than 15 per cent of their business,” Mr Wilkinson said. J

Illegally copying tapes constituted fraud, he said, and carried the maximum penalty for video crime — ten years imprisonment.

“There are persons in Christchurch copying and then ' hiring these tapes out. They are going to get caught. “Up until now the Judiciary has looked upon it as a copyright offence and not ( as fraud. Fines only have been imposed," he said. ■ ! i At least five motels in Christchurch were guilty of showing pirated or par-

allel imported films, he said. Mr Wilkinson was surprised at this trend because recently one Christchurch motel manager! was convicted of the crime and the office thought this would have been an example. But the practice continued. Mr Wilkinson also warned schools against showing hired tapes for entertainment or fundraising. This was a breach of copyright because videos were expressly for home viewing.