Music
Piracy is a 5 billion dollar worldwide problem. It rears its
ugly head everywhere, often completely ruining the livelihoods
of performers and people working in the music industry. Ireland,
with its rich musical tradition, is also a lucrative market
for piracy, with music industry losses running to EURO3.8 million
annually, this figure increases to EURO63.5 million when pirated
software and videos are included.
Under the Copyright Act and Trademarks Act, warrants or
orders can be obtained from the District Court authorizing
Gardai to enter premises or vehicles and seize pirated products.
Under the Casual Trading Act, persons selling any products
without the appropriate Casual Trading License may have their
stock seized without warrant.
IRMA maintains a team of highly experienced investigators,
available at all times to assist in the detection, identification
and seizure of pirated music cassettes and CDs. They prepare
all documentation required when applying to the Courts for
warrants and orders. IRMA personnel are accepted by the Courts
as experts in the identification of piracy.
With the invaluable help of the Gardai and other government
agencies, IRMA will continue to protect the lifeblood of Irish
music.
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