DVD Piracy

Copyright theft affects everyone in the film and television industry. In Australia this includes:

Making the public aware of the ramifications of the crime of copyright theft.

If you wish to participate in the fight against movie piracy, and hear more about AFACT activities please contact your industry associations or franchise/supplier head office.

AVRRA - (02) 9960 0046
AVSDA - (02) 8233 6174
ICAA - (02) 4422 2209
MPEAQ - (07) 3356 5671
SPAA - (02) 9360 8988

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Australian man implicated in raid on pirate DVD operation in Bali

In July, 2005 Indonesian police raided a store in Bali run by Australian Neil Lord, an Indonesia resident, and his Indonesian wife, Arifah Lord, after a joint investigation by the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) and the Motion Picture Association (MPA) in Indonesia revealed that illegal DVD movies were being openly sold from the premises.

The raid marked the first time that a business run by an Australian had been targeted by Indonesian police for copyright offences relating to pirate DVDs.. Police seized 1,500 discs and revealed that the Lords' store was stocked entirely with illegal DVDs - nothing was legitimate. As a result of the raid, Arifah Lord was arrested and the couple will be subject to further police investigations.


Police Raids Across Australia
Between May & August 2005 there were over 57,646 DVD-Rs and DVDs seized during this period representing a loss to pirates of over $576,460 (based on a street value of $10 per disc) in potential illegal revenue. Also seized were 153 DVD-R burners which were capable of producing 2,291,328 discs per year worth over $22 million dollars.

Internet Investigations & Takedowns
AFACT monitors Internet auction sites and websites to identify and remove infringing products such as illegal copies of films and devices designed to remove or bypass technological protection measures. AFACT works closely with Internet auction sites and web hosts to urgently remove or 'take down' illegal material. Persons identified during this process may be referred to the police for further investigation and prosecution, or to our 'TAP Program' for civil action.

From May 1- Aug 31, over 5200 auctions offering pirate films were identified by AFACT investigators and removed from the Internet.

DVD PIRACY IS A CRIME