The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) announced that it seized thousands of counterfeit DVD movie discs from a booth at the Gibraltar Trade Centre in London, Ontario.

For more information visit: www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca

Unedited press release follows:

RCMP Seize Counterfeit DVDs from the Gibraltar Trade Centre

LONDON, ON, Feb. 23, 2012 – As a result of an investigation conducted by the London Federal Enforcement Section of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) approximately 3,770 counterfeit DVDs worth approximately $75,000 were seized from a booth at the Gibraltar Trade Centre on Dundas Street East in London. A male and female, both from Cambridge, Ontario were arrested and face charges under the Copyright Act for allegedly offering for sale an infringing copy of work where a copyright subsists. If convicted they could faces fines of up to twenty-five thousand dollars and/or imprisonment for a maximum term of six months.

The accused were found in possession of the DVDs which were openly displayed for sale. The titles included recently released DVD movies such as Real Steel, The Help, Bad Teacher, Mr. Popper’s Penguins, Bridesmaids, Ides of March and The Social Network amongst many others.

Counterfeiting and piracy techniques have become more sophisticated, making detection of the genuine article increasingly more difficult for consumers. Counterfeit DVD packaging may look very similar to the genuine product. To determine if a DVD is counterfeit, consumers should watch for common signs such as spelling mistakes on the product, fuzzy printing and undervalued pricing.

Anyone with information regarding the sale and /or manufacturing or distributing of counterfeit DVD movies is encouraged to contact the RCMP at 1-800-387-0020 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-265-4444.