British man gets 18-month term for copyright infringement
Keith Tamkin, a British national has been jailed for 18 months for masterminding acopyright/trademark infringement operation in Britain, described as one of the largest “domestic factories” uncovered in the UK. He was sentenced to 12 months for his unauthorised distribution of copyrighted material and another eight months for charges such as money laundering.
Tamkin, 52, acknowledged being responsible for a large haul of copyrighted equipment, which included computer hard drives and CDs. His illegal sales had already fetched him more than £100,000.
Raids carried out at a location in the town of Felpham, Sussex, by police and investigators at the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) uncovered more than 100 computer hard drives and an estimated 150,000 CDs and DVDs. Towers that help to burn CDs and DVDs were also found with a catalogue of around 25,000 titles, which were distributed to a list of clients. The material took more than a year to examine, following raids in November 2011.
Tamkin was sentenced at Chichester Crown Court after being found guilty to six offences.
Director of anti-piracy for the BPI, David Wood, said the operation was one of the “largest ‘domestic factories’ uncovered till date in the UK.” Mr. Woods also added that it had the capacity of manufacturing and distributing counterfeit products on a really commercial basis.
Adam Rendle, associate at Taylor Wessing LLP in London, said the application of the money laundering offences was noteworthy, as it enabled police to “confiscate the proceeds of crime – hitting the convicted criminal in the pocket, as well as losing his liberty”.
Rendle added that similar prosecutions may fall within the remit of the UK’s Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit, which was set up in September 2013 as a specialist police force focusing on IP crime.
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