MPA: New Delhi warrant adds tool to piracy battle
In an unprecedented move, the Motion Picture Association (MPA) on
Thursday (July 28th) announced that it has obtained a general
"search and seize warrant" to cover the entire city of New Delhi,
India. "The order permits police to search any premises suspected
of containing pirated products, and permits officers to open
locked premises without delay.", the MPA said in a statement.
"The order is expected to be especially useful in facilitating
raids on the (city's) notorious Palika Bazaar, where information
about imminent raids often leaks before police can effect arrests
and seizures."
......
Said Mike Ellis, the MPA's senior VP, Asia-Pacific, "The issuance of general search and seizure warrants greatly empowers police in the battle against illegal copyright theft and confirms the commitment of the Indian government and judiciary to fighting a crime that badly damages the country's film industry." The MPA is working closely with law enforcement authorities throughout India to curb the country's piracy rate, estimated in 2004 at 60%.
Wow - a city-wide search and seizure warrant. Unfortunately for the MPA, there is enough caselaw to choke a whale that would stop this from ever happening in the United States. (Of course, the MPA could ask lawyer should-be-at-Hoover John Yoo to write a brief equating all forms of piracy with all forms of terrorism, to justify city-wide search/seizure warrants under the Patriot Act.)
Greg Aharonian
Internet Patent News Service
Received on Tue Aug 30 2005 - 00:05:30 GMT
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