New York City, major source of film piracy, is getting serious with a crackdown

NEW YORK (AP) - Film pirates are about to find the sailing a lot tougher in New York City. More than 40 per cent of the country's pirated movies that are videotaped in theatres and then illegally sold throughout the world originate here, and the city is fed up and not going to take it any more, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Monday.

Bloomberg said the city will begin using public nuisance laws to go after the owners of buildings where film piracy is organized and movies are sold. The city has been pursuing other types of counterfeit goods in a similar way for several years, shutting several buildings and confiscating millions of dollars in clothing and handbags.

The city will push for state legislation to increase penalties for people who sneak video cameras into theatres and record the films. Bloomberg wants to make the act a misdemeanour for first-timers and a felony for repeat offenders.

"Video piracy is not a victimless crime," he said. "It kills jobs for New Yorkers, and, like the counterfeit clothes and other items, it also is carried about by and supports criminal gangs. Now, we're going to start shutting them down."

Motion Picture Association of America Chairman Dan Glickman said that while a huge chunk of piracy takes place in New York, no other city matches its efforts to combat the crime, which he said is the industry's greatest threat. The organization estimated piracy cost major U.S. studios US$6 billion last year.

© The Canadian Press, 2006