Camcorder DVD bootlegger sentenced to 4 years in jail

Three people involved in a camcordering operation have been sentenced to jail terms ranging from five months up to four years for their role in the "Burn Central" DVD business.

Brad Newell plead guilty to copyright infringement and other charges related to the case earlier in 2010, and was sentenced to four years in prison. One of Newell's business partners received a six-month sentence for his involvement, while another Burn Central employee received a five-month jail sentence.

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As part of the investigation, Newell, 43, also turned over $28,000 in cash, additional pirated movies, and video editing equipment used to prepare the movies before they were sold.

During a multi-agency investigation, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) discovered at least 300 copies of Clash of the Titans, along with the video camera that reportedly illegally recorded the movies.

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Police authorities in the United States and many western nations may not be interested in busting individual file sharers, but "camming" and large-scale operations will always be targeted. There is an interesting shift in anti-piracy efforts against camcordering and vendors selling pirated material, as the DoJ and ICE has become much more involved in crackdowns recently.

The US government closed nine pirate websites earlier in the year, while police in Florida (with ICE's involvement) cracked down on counterfeiters.

This new federal government anti-piracy enthusiasm comes at a time when the RIAA and MPAA continue to spend millions to lobby lawmakers in Washington -- and to make sure the DoJ supports a stronger stance on anti-piracy efforts.

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Criticism remains surrounding ICE’s involvement in these types of crackdowns, as illegal immigration and border issues remain political hot button issues in Washington.

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