Fake goods worth R100m seized
2005-02-01 12:45
Johannesburg - The anti-piracy group Southern African Federation Against Copyright Theft (Safact) revealed on Tuesday that
during 2004 it seized 633 697 counterfeit DVDs, PC games, PlayStation and Microsoft X-Box games. The seized goods represent a retail value of more than R100m.
Safact MD Fred Potgieter expects 2005 to be even busier in terms of confiscations and convictions.
A total of 530 360 fake DVDs were confiscated, 64 073 PlayStation 1 and 2 games, 5 460 Microsoft X-Box games and 33 804 PC games, the organisation announced.
"We are quite alarmed at the number of X-Box games seized as Microsoft's X-Box has yet to be launched in South Africa," Potgieter said.
Last year 411 police raids were carried out, there were 104 customs seizures and a total of 80 criminal convictions - up from only 13 convictions in 2003.
Potgieter said the number of convictions is very heartening and shows that the law is taking counterfeiting more seriously.
The biggest conviction handed down last year was a fine of R100 000 or three years in jail.
Last Monday a Johannesburg man, Marcus Mocke, was handed down the heaviest sentence ever received for DVD piracy - eight years imprisonment or a fine of R400 000.
Safact represents Ster-Kinekor, Nu Metro, Nintendo and all the major US film studios.