South Auckland movie pirate pleads guilty

A South Auckland man is facing a jail sentence and fines for copying and selling pirated copies of movies in New Zealand's biggest-ever prosecution for copyright crime.

John Houston, 42, pleaded guilty to 21 charges in the Manukau District Court yesterday.

The prosecution followed an investigation by the NZ Federation of Copyright Theft, Internal Affairs and police.

Houston was accused of burning bootlegged copies of movies and selling them at street markets throughout Auckland, said the federation's director of operations, Tony Eaton.

Internal Affairs conducted a forensic examination of Houston's computer and found 486 different movies.

Mr Eaton said Houston's records indicated he had earned between $120,000 and $150,000 a year for the past five years.

Houston will be sentenced on August 25 and faces up to a $150,000 fine and five years in jail on each of 12 charges of copyright theft.