the latest SAFACT Update

Update of SAFACT Activities

Week Ending 18th April 2010

1. Court and Legal Matters:
   
• Street Vendor sentenced to 3 years imprisonment in the Paulpietersburg Magistrates Court.
• Preparations continued for disclosure in the Bekker case occupying all enforcement staff for the entire week.
• Disclosure documents prepared by SAFACT for the Prosecutor filled 27 lever arch files.
• 2 other burner labs linked to the Bekker operation require disclosure within the next 3 weeks so manpower available to conduct enforcement actions limited.


2. Asset Forfeiture:
   
   • Nothing to report
   
   
3. First Quarter 2010 Stats (2009 Q1 in brackets)
• 187 Enforcement actions (202)
• 61 Arrests (132)
• 64 Individuals charged
• 35 Convictions / Administrative actions (132)
• 56, 662 DVD-r’s seized (96, 642)
• 3, 741 Pressed discs seized (21)
• 200 Blank discs seized (13, 176)
• 28 Burners Seized (307)
• 15 Computer seized (16)
• 2 Printers seized (28)
• 8, 112 inlays seized. (20,760)
• 2 Training events held
• 37 Government officials attended
• 388 Cinema Inspections (300)


4. Stats (Week)
• Arrests
• 2, 147 discs seized in enforcement actions (454 pressed discs)
• 2, 147 Film
• 0 Music
• 0 Nigerian
• 0 Pornographic
• 0 PlayStation 2
• 0 empty covers
• 43 loose sleeves


5. Enforcement:
• Home Operator raided by CCU Pretoria. 860 blank discs seized and 1,499 DVD-r’s (all film titles) as well as 2 computers, 1 printer, 1 external hard drive, 3 memory sticks, 2 hard drives, 1 DVD writer, 19
• empty covers with sleeves and 16 loose sleeves.
• Hercules SAPS arrested a street vendor with 51 discs
• Hercules SAPS arrested a street vendor with 39 discs
• Hercules SAPS arrested a street vendor with 98 discs and 43 loose sleeves.
• Hercules SAPS arrested a street vendor with 6 discs.


6. Cross Border:
• 13 mail consignments of box sets containing 454 pressed discs were detained by Customs at the Johannesburg International Mail Centre. 10 of the consignments contained purchases from DVDsetshop.


7. Online:
• No infringement list film titles found on main auction site.
• P2P activity at 25, 858 was 13% lower than the preceding week.


8. Cinema:
   
• 24 cinema inspections conducted with no reported cases of piracy.
• Suspected camcording of 3 South African films being investigated.


9. Media:
   
• Nothing to report


10. Policy:
    
• Second draft of “Film Content Security Guidelines” circulated for comment.
• Parliamentary Portfolio Committee for Trade and Industry refused to accommodate presentation by DTI on the Strategic Plan for CIPRO (Company and Intellectual Property Registration Office)
• Delays being experienced in registering copyright due to staff shortages at CIPRO
• Briefing by Dr Owen Dean on proposed amendments to the Copyright Act scheduled for the 28th April. Invites to follow.


11. International
• Nothing to report


12. Gaming:
• Nothing to report


13. Awareness:
    
• Nothing to report


14. Training.
• Nothing to report


15. General
• Nothing to report