Right now, in concealed premises that might only be a stone s throw from where you are, there are furtive groups of people doing something illegal: manufacturing illegal copies of records, tapes, computer games, videos, jeans, jewellery and so on.
Every once in a while they probably break off to rub their hands in glee at the big bounty that lies ahead with the Christmas trading period likely to expand their wallets quite considerably. And they may even stop occasionally to smile at the thought of you as a potential dupe and provider of that bounty when they dangle their dubious sub-standard products in front of your eager eyes.
Of course there will be bargains out there this Christmas, but quite often what looks like a bargain actually turns out to be the exact opposite. In the run-up to Christmas we will all be tempted to save a few quid here and there on this present or that one, but in doing so we risk the embarrassment of handing a friend a cheap dud.
The Music Industry is already girding its collective loins for the pre-Christmas battle against the widespread availability of illegal recordings that has become a multi-billion pound global industry, especially in those countries where the concept of intellectual copyright hasn t quite caught on.
According to figures passed on to Hot Press by the Gardai, the market for pirated computer software in Britain is now running at over #400 million, with other branded goods reflecting a similar level of piracy. Illegal records and tapes exceed #40 million. In Ireland, the situation is comparatively worse, because previous governments dragged their heels on introducing legislation that would help deter the pirates. Recent legislation is only now allowing the powers that be to make a real onslaught on the illegal market.
As one Irish music industry insider claimed, In any music bootleg sale, neither the record companies, the artists, the songwriters, the session musicians nor the producers receive any money. The revenue receives no VAT. Many employees of the pirates pay no tax or PRSI, so nobody benefits from piracy except the thieves. Even the public are conned, often ending up with a defective, shoddy item they can t bring back to exchange when they discover it s defective.
The Irish Music Industry s worries are understandable and are shared by those in other industries, with bootleg videos and computer games especially lucrative fields for the quick-buck merchants. Irrespective of what views one might have of industries which often do little to gain public sympathy for their cause, it still has to be conceded that a drop in profit, especially over the busy Christmas period, impacts on the availability of money to invest in new talent, new staff and new products.
The situation faced by music industry top brass is obviously hampered by artists who encourage bootlegging of live recordings or the availability of unreleased takes in order to cultivate a legendary status. But whatever about the availability of obscure recordings or live gigs, which generally only appeal to ultra-fans anyway, from the legal perspective theft is theft and it is difficult to justify the mass duplication of albums otherwise openly available in the high street.
In Ireland, IRMA has produced a video to assist the Gardai in the battle against music piracy which is reckoned to cost the Irish economy over #3 million per annum. The IRMA video is shown to all recruits in Templemore and it highlights the fact that one in every five CDs and tapes sold in Ireland is illegal. According to an article in the Garda Review, when the video and software markets are combined the total pirate market runs at #50 million in Ireland. But when one includes other branded goods that figure rises to a staggering #300 million and is believed to put as many as 5,000 Irish jobs at risk.
Those alarming statistics show why it is not only the Gardai and official bodies such as IRMA and IMRO who are concerned about the piracy issue, but individual companies and individuals such as Pat Meade at Audio Warehouse, which sells recording equipment and specialised set-ups to musicians and studios, and Alan McEvoy s Live Wire Business Management company, are only two examples of many who have put their weight firmly behind the ongoing campaign.
As the IRMA video points out, that campaign is helped by the fact that there is now no limit to the maximum fines the court can impose, while prison sentences are also on the cards. The Gardai have also developed a close working relationship with the RUC as both forces pursue the mobsters, some of whom are alleged to have paramilitary connections.
Apart from the impact of the new copyright legislation the Irish campaign against piracy has been stepped up as a response to the threat posed to the income potential of the legitimate copyright owners and the effect on the job security of employees in the industry. Although this may not occur to the casual buyer out looking for a cheap bargain, these are the real effects of the proliferation of market-stalls offering top-selling items at substantially less than the normal price. The success of the campaign to date seems to have pushed the trade off the high street into the various markets around the country.
But ultimately it is the Irish public who keep the pirates in business and who have it within their collective power to put them out of business.
When buying any pirated products members of the public should be aware that in doing so they become accessories to breaking the law which states that the holders of intellectual copyright (e.g. writers, performers, designers, producers, etc.) are entitled to receive payment for their work. That s the law, so don t bother telling the judge that you think Bono has enough money already. That excuse overlooks the fact that there are others (producers, management, songwriters, etc.) who may be entitled to money from the sales of that work and they may be far poorer than our Mr Hewson. They may even be poorer than you, so you might just decide that you would prefer not to steal from them this Christmas.