Global Anti-Piracy Snapshot
Q1: January March 2013
ACTIONS
Illegal Products Seized in Brazil
THE AMERICAS
New Brazilian Officials Continue to Fight Against Piracy. In São Paulo,
the beginning of 2013 marked a shift in the political party and the installation of new state-level security officials. A January raid action by the Specialized IP Enforcement Unit of the Civil Police sparks hope that the new officials will continue the fight against piracy in accordance with the City Free of Piracy program. The January raid targeted a downtown
São Paulo business that was pirating video games and selling circumvention devices. Brazilian officials stopped the distribution of counterfeit Nintendo Wii games and game copying devices loaded with
Nintendo DS games.
Jury Finds Operation Tangled Web Defendant Guilty in the U.S. On
March 27, a U.S. District Court sentenced a mod chip seller, Jeffrey
Reichert, to one year in prison and ordered him to pay court fines after a jury found him guilty of violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act
(DMCA). His trial stemmed from the nationwide Operation Tangled
Web investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This action, targeting online mod chip sellers, involved the simultaneous execution of 32 search warrants across 16 states. Reichert sold mod chips for Nintendo consoles and other major platforms via his fallsin.com website. Nintendo testified at his trial and has supported the prosecution of other Operation Tangled Web defendants.
A California Craigslist Seller Is Sentenced to a Six-Month Jail Term. A California man pled guilty to 27 felony counts of intellectual property violations related to the manufacture and sale of counterfeit products distributed via Craigslist. His arrest followed the execution of a search warrant at his residence by the Riverside County Sherriff s Department High-Tech Response
Team. The search uncovered pirated DVD movies, game copying devices and almost 5,000 illegal Nintendo games stored on memory cards. In March, the seller was sentenced to six months in jail and six months in a work release program.
IP POLICY ACTIVITIES
Canadian Government Introduces New Anti-Counterfeiting Legislation. On March 1, the Combating Counterfeit Products Act was introduced to provide Canadian Customs with stronger anti-piracy enforcement tools. Its passage would grant border officers more authority to detain suspected shipments and contact IP owners.
Nintendo Highlights Countries with Inadequate IP Protection in Special 301 Report. On February 8, Nintendo filed its Special
301 Report with the United States Trade Representative (USTR), an instrumental process in Nintendo s worldwide anti-piracy program. This year, Nintendo filed comments on Brazil, China, Mexico and Spain. Nintendo also submitted comments to USTR
in the 301 submission filed by the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA), which represents the U.S.-based copyright industry trade associations including the Entertainment Software Association (ESA).
AWARENESS AND TRAINING
U.S. Law Enforcement Offers Support to Game Industry. On behalf of its video game industry members, the ESA participated in a law enforcement training sponsored by the Los Angeles County Sheriff s Department. Over 300 federal, state and local law enforcement officials attended the event, including FBI, Homeland Security (HSI), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), state
