UK Distributors Hire A Pirate Buster

Investigator Will Train Cinema Staff

As Pirates of the Caribbean premieres in the UK, another kind of pirate is making preparations to rip off the film's producers. DVD copies of the new film are expected to be on the streets within two days, but the industry is fighting back. Now, UK film distributors have agreed to fund a "cinema investigator" to tackle pirates who film new releases direct from the silver screen to illegal DVDs.

A former police officer will "train cinema staff and examine incidents where recording equipment has been used in cinemas".  UK Film Distributors' Association' spokesman Mark Batey confirmed: "Films have never been more vulnerable to rip-off copying. We believe the appointment is very timely."

Raymond Leinster of the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) said: "In recent months it became apparent that the worldwide release strategy made films vulnerable to camcording in the UK. Pirates of the Caribbean, which has its premiere tonight in London, will be available to the public by Thursday.

He went on: "The first copy is traditionally posted online. Digital infrastructure will, within many hours, disseminate that on a global basis."

FACT claims film piracy generates illicit revenue of £270m every year and that the cinema industry "loses more than £810m per year in lost sales and cinema admissions from piracy and illegal downloads."