MOG

I just received news that Canada's largest seizure of counterfeit music CDs and DVDs was hauled in during a raid on Audiomaxxx yesterday, (Wednesday) March 5th. Following a year-long investigation by the Canadian RIA (Canadian Recording Industry Association), Audiomaxxx.com in Winnipeg was shut down and accused of counterfeiting music and porn movies. The company is suspected to be one of the nation's leading suppliers of counterfeit music CDs and DVDs, possibly shipping "tens of thousands" of pirated discs each month. RCMP officers seized more than 200,000 music CDs and DVDs, "numerous" movie DVDs and "hundreds of thousands" of blank discs plus 5 CD/DVD burning towers (each with 12 burners), several computers and hard drives, 2 commercial CD printers, colour copiers and other office equipment. The burners are said to be capable of 10,000 discs per day. Audiomaxxx allegedly manufactured pirated music and "hard core porn" which it distributed throughout Canada, US, Jamaica and Europe.

The press statement compared this raid to the next biggest raid in the last decade:

In the past 10 years, the raid closest in scale to the action against Audiomaxxx involved the seizure of about 10,000 counterfeit music CDs and DVDs – one-twentieth the volume netted yesterday.

Early info stated that Raj Singh Ramgotra, the principal behind Audiomaxx, was arrested along with 3 others, but this information has since been retracted with the statement that no one has been charged in this matter.

The press release went on to describe how the CRIA and RCMP discovered Audiomaxxx and the harm done to the musicians and music industry:

The operation appears to be highly developed, with a significant catalogue of allegedly pirated CDs and music downloads offered for sale via the website www.audiomaxxx.com, including copies of tracks by famous artists like Shania Twain, Lionel Richie, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige and Nelly Furtado.

“The RCMP has again demonstrated that it stands side by side with artists and rights holders in the fight against intellectual property crime,” said Randy Lennox, President and CEO of Universal Music Canada Ltd. and Chairman of CRIA . “CRIA has a longstanding partnership with the RCMP and other police forces in fighting piracy, and today we have taken a big step together to stop one of the most flagrant examples of its kind in Canada.”

Audiomaxxx's alleged piracy affects not just famous artists, but also new and independent artists - largely in the reggae, soca and hip-hop community - who are struggling to build careers. For example, Vancouver’s Utopia Records, one of the many independent labels to voice concerns, has seen new artist albums appear on the Audiomaxxx website on the day an album is released in stores or even before the legitimate launch date.