Sudbury man convicted of making and selling fake DVDs
It comes after police seized 40,000 fake disks from a home in Great Cornard
Last updated 26th Jun 2023
A Sudbury man has admitted to producing and selling counterfeit DVDs.
72 year old John Williams, of Pot Kiln Road in Great Cornard, was taken to court by Suffolk Trading Standards after he was found to be selling fake disks at trade faires.
Officers seized over 40,000 titles including Wonder Woman 1984 and X Men Apocalypse as well as a disk burner and colour photocopier from Mr Williams' home.
Forensic analysis of several computers also showed he'd been selling the titles abroad.
Mr Williams admitted to one offence under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998 and one under the Trademark Act 1994 at Ipswich Crown Court.
He'll be sentenced on July 24
Suffolk County Councillor Andrew Reid said:
“I congratulate Trading Standards who worked hard to bring this matter to Court, and I would like to extend my thanks to the Film Content Protection Agency and the National Trading Standards eCrime team for their assistance.”
Simon Brown, Director of the UK’s Film Content Protection Agency (FCPA), said:
“Mr Williams, as the seller of counterfeit DVDs online, not only deceived hundreds of people but also resulted in him misappropriating thousands of pounds.
"Many people think copyright theft is a victimless crime and that buying a counterfeit DVD or streaming a pirate film online has no direct consequences.
"However, this is quite simply not the case; not only does film piracy deprive the creative industries and UK economy of millions of pounds a year, but it also detrimentally impacts the livelihoods of thousands of people who work in and support the industry.
“I want to thank Suffolk Trading Standards for their work in this case which has led to the conviction of Mr Williams.
"FCPA will continue to work with Suffolk Trading Standards to protect consumers and legitimate businesses from falling victim to intellectual property crime.”