John Williams, 72 of Pot Kiln Road, Great Cornard has pleaded guilty to two offences related to the sale, supply and manufacturer of counterfeit DVDs.
Williams first became known to Suffolk Trading Standards when they received a report of fake cult and classic DVDs being sold on a website. Test purchases were carried out with the Trade Mark and Copyright holder confirming them to be counterfeit. Titles examined included Wonder Woman 1984, Shazam, X Men Apocalypse and the TV programmes The Strange World of Gurney Slade and Dial 999.
Over 40,000 DVD were seized from Mr Williams’ home in October 2021 alongside computers, disc burners, a colour photo copier with some print outs of DVD box paper insert sleeves and address label stickers.
Forensic analysis of the seized computers found that Williams had sold fake DVDRs when attending numerous Film and TV fairs, mainly in London and that he had a wide network of customers he sold discs to, both in the UK and abroad.
Appearing at Ipswich Crown Court today, John Williams pleaded guilty to one offence under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998 and one under the Trademark Act 1994. Sentencing will be on 24 July 2023.
Councillor Andrew Reid, cabinet member responsible for Public Health and Public Protection, 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.”
Anyone wanting to report the sale of illegal goods should contact Trading Standards via Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133.
