Industry hails raid that busted pirate-movie ring

Tony Eaton with some of the seized DVDs. Picture / Richard Robinson

More than 250 pirated movies, including the hit comedy Sione's Wedding, have been recovered in a raid on a South Auckland home.

Police and members of an anti-piracy group raided the Otara home yesterday following a month-long investigation by members of NZ Federation Against Copyright Theft.

A 29-year-old man is due to appear in the Manukau District Court today on several charges, including illegally copying and selling films and using a computer for dishonest practices.

The investigation was prompted by a tip-off about a stolen copy of Sione's Wedding which was distributed around South Auckland - before the film was released.

Federation operations director Tony Eaton said the arrested man had a copy of the movie, among many other titles.

Authorities found around 250 DVD discs, each of a different movie, in large black folders.

The discs are believed to been pirated from originals - or illegal copies of the movies before their DVD release - and then used as "mastercopies" for further copying.

Mr Eaton said it was likely the folders were used as a catalogue, allowing customers to choose which films they wanted copies of - probably at a cost of $6 to $10 each.

The pirated mastercopies ranged from old Hollywood favourites such as Grease and Dirty Dancing to New Zealand films River Queen and Sione's Wedding, neither of which has been released on DVD yet.

There were also new movies such as X-Men 3 and Poseidon which have just been released in New Zealand cinemas.

Mr Eaton said it appeared a large-scale commercial piracy operation was being run from the house, where a list of 500 names and contact details - believed to be a customer base - was also found.

He said this was the largest haul of mastercopies recovered from a house, making the bust one of the biggest in the country.

South Pacific Pictures chief executive John Barnett, who produced Sione's Wedding, said he was delighted by the news of yesterday's raid.

Mr Barnett said a reward was offered after the unfinished copy of Sione's Wedding was stolen in January. The thief has since been identified.

Sione's Wedding cast member Robbie Magasiva said it was "fantastic" that so many pirated films would be out of circulation following the raid.

"It's great for the New Zealand film industry and for New Zealand actors and everyone that's involved. I'm absolutely stoked."

Magasiva said piracy cost the industry in many ways, including the actors.

He believed the pirated versions of Sione's Wedding had cost at least $500,000 in lost earnings at the cinemas.

"It's a huge chunk of money. It hurts a whole lot of people."

Mr Eaton said the internet had made it easier for people to access pirated films.

However, a campaign was under way to educate people against it.

"It's the Oscar Kightleys and Peter Jacksons of this world you are affecting by buying pirated copies.

"If we don't have protection of our movies there would be no money for the upcoming actors and film producers of New Zealand."

He warned those who continued to pirate films or buy pirated copies that further prosecutions would follow, especially with new technology that could track down the computers on which such movies were downloaded.


BOOTLEG BUSTING

* Anyone caught buying or selling pirated movies faces five years' imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $150,000.

* Pirated DVDs are believed to account for up to 12 per cent of total DVD sales