Kozhikode: Kozhikode city and it suburbs are a thriving market for fake compact discs containing latest Malayalam and Hindi movies and popular music albums.

Raids carried out in the past few days within the limits of the office of the Kozhikode City Police Commissioner revealed that the illegal digital video discs; video compact discs and MP3 discs were being outsourced from Coimbatore, Palani and Kochi to the city. At least 5,000 fake discs were seized from video shops, roadside vendors and godowns in various parts of the city.

Twelve cases were registered against video libraries under various sections of the Copy Right Act, Indecent Representation of Women's Act and Young Persons Harmful Publication Act in the last couple of days.

Kozhikode City Police Commissioner Balram Kumar Upadhyay told The Hindu here on Tuesday that the maximum sale of fake discs took place on the roadsides. A preliminary investigation confirmed that the distribution and sale were conducted on the spot. The sale of discs containing latest films at video parlours was less in number, he said.

As per the information gathered by the police, there were no manufacturing units of compact discs in Kozhikode city. And evidences had to be collected on anybody was illegally copying the original versions of films, Mr. Upadhyay said.

The drive against the distribution and sale of fake discs would continue. Public places, including the Palayam, Mofussil and Kerala State Road Corporation Transport bus stations, Sweet Meat Street and Mananchira Square, would be under the surveillance of the police, he said.

No special squads

No special squads have been formed to check the proliferation of fake compact discs and digital video discs. Any police officer in the rank of Sub Inspector and above can take action against video piracy and violation of copyright.

Several cases were registered under Section 52 (A) and 63 of the Copy Rights Act at the Feroke Police station. Sixty discs, some of them containing the latest films such as the Lal Jose directed Classmates and Bollywood flicks Faana and Krrish were seized, Sub Inspector K. Biju, said. Discs that did not contain the particulars of the owner and distributor, logo of the Censor Board and details of the film are generally considered to be infringed copies. Mostly the retailers and video shop owners had to face the brunt of the law since the distributor gave no evidences for making more copies of original versions.

Many of the fake digital videodiscs were of the films Thanmatra, Achuvinte Amma, Udayanannu Tharam, Lokanathan IAS and Achanurangatha Veedu, an officer said.

Around 250 fake discs were seized from a video shop at Kozhikode Medical College Junction while 1,500 were recovered from a street vendor near the Moideen Mosque on Sunday.

The Kasaba police seized 135 discs from a vendor at Palayam. During the raids the police also arrested music shop owners Mujeeb and Shamir on the charges of distributing fake discs containing Malayalam films. In another case, the Feroke police also charged a shop owner T. Samir on charges of distributing fake CDs. The Chemmangad police arrested C.P.Mohammed of Naduvattom and seized 100 CDs.

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