Many still ignorant that their actions in the internet could be
detected.
A PRE-DAWN police raid on
four homes here yesterday saw five people arrested for selling
pirated movies, music concert videos and video games on online
auction sites.
The seizure of 1,600 DVDs and CDs was Singapore's largest ever haul
from an Internet piracy investigation, said Deputy Superintendent
of Police Tan Kah Khin, head of the Criminal Investigation
Department's Intellectual Property Rights Branch (IPRB).
The discs seized include movies like Pirates Of The Caribbean and
Alien Versus Predator; concert music videos of performers like
Avril Lavigne and Britney Spears; Sony PlayStation games and
pornographic movies.
A police statement said the pirates' products had earned them an
average of $100 to $400 every month. Four of them are
employed.
The alleged pirates - four men and one woman aged between 23 and 41
- had purchased the discs from syndicates and listed them at $6 to
$8 apiece on online auction sites.
Two of them have master's degrees and one is a PhD student.
Buyers were contacted via e-mail and payment was made directly into
the sellers' bank account, typically through Inter- net banking or
ATM transfer.
When payment was received, the pirates would mail the discs to the
buyers. No physical contact was ever made.
Despite the similarities in how the pirates operated, the four
operations were not linked, said DSP Tan.
According to Record Industry Association Singapore (Rias) chief
executive and Motion Picture Association representative Edward
Neubronner, an anonymous tip-off made on the Rias website in March
this year led to the arrests.
The whistle-blower had named four online auction accounts he
suspected of selling pirated products. Rias investigators bought
items from the sites to verify that the discs were pirated and then
passed on the information to police.
IPRB officers eventually managed to uncover their identities. They
had been operating since January this year.
DSP Tan said when they were arrested, the five were surprised that
they could be traced, since they had never had any physical contact
with their buyers.
People found guilty of selling or distributing pirated materials
are liable for fines of up to $100,000 and jail of up to five
years.
'This is not a good way to supplement your pocket money,' DSP Tan
added wryly.
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