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Police file criminal charges against four people and seize more than 200,000 music CDs and DVDs
TORONTO, March 6 /CNW/ - Following a year-long investigation by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA), the RCMP has shut down Audiomaxxx.com Ltd., a major alleged music counterfeiting operation in Winnipeg, and filed criminal charges against four individuals.
Raj Singh Ramgotra, the principal behind Audiomaxxx, was among those arrested during a raid yesterday at the organization, which for three years has allegedly manufactured pirated compact discs and hard core pornographic videos, and distributed them throughout Canada, the U.S., Europe and Jamaica. More recently, Audiomaxxx's offerings have also included allegedly pirated digital downloads.
In addition to the arrests, police seized an enormous volume of suspected counterfeit goods. This includes more than 200,000 music CDs and DVDs, numerous movie DVDs and hundreds of thousands of blank discs. Police also seized five CD/DVD burning towers, each with 12 burners, which together are capable of burning well in excess of 10,000 CDs and DVDs a day. The raid also netted several computers and hard drives, two commercial CD printers, four colour copiers and other office equipment.
In the past 10 years, the raid closest in scale to the action against Audiomaxxx involved the seizure of about 10,000 counterfeit music CDs and DVDs -- one-twentieth the volume netted yesterday.
More than 10 police officers were involved in yesterday's raid. "We sincerely thank the RCMP officers who have worked so hard to bring Audiomaxxx to heel, and to the federal prosecutors who have worked closely with them," said Graham Henderson, President of the Canadian Recording Industry Association. "Today's arrests send out a clear message that commercial piracy will no longer be tolerated in Canada."
Audiomaxxx is suspected of being one of Canada's leading music counterfeiters. In Toronto alone, approximately 30 percent of the pirated CDs seized allegedly originate from the operation. CRIA estimates that, at minimum, Audiomaxxx has been shipping tens of thousands of allegedly pirated CDs each month.
CRIA has received dozens of complaints concerning the operation from artists, music associations and music labels around the world, including numerous small, independent labels. In the past, when faced with demands by rights holders to cease its activities, Audiomaxxx has consistently ignored the demands or failed to fully comply.
The operation appears to be highly developed, with a significant catalogue of allegedly pirated CDs and music downloads offered for sale via the website www. audiomaxxx. com, including copies of tracks by famous artists like Shania Twain, Lionel Richie, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige and Nelly Furtado.
"The RCMP has again demonstrated that it stands side by side with artists and rights holders in the fight against intellectual property crime," said Randy Lennox, President and CEO of Universal Music Canada Ltd. And Chairman of CRIA. "CRIA has a longstanding partnership with the RCMP and other police forces in fighting piracy, and today we have taken a big step together to stop one of the most flagrant examples of its kind in Canada."
Audiomaxxx's alleged piracy affects not just famous artists, but also new and independent artists - largely in the reggae, soca and hip-hop community - who are struggling to build careers. For example, Vancouver's Utopia Records, one of the many independent labels to voice concerns, has seen new artist albums appear on the Audiomaxxx website on the day an album is released in stores or even before the legitimate launch date.
"The harm done by music piracy is especially troubling when it undermines a promising artist's burgeoning career," Henderson said. "We will continue to work with police and lawmakers to give these artists, and the organizations behind them, the opportunity to succeed."
CRIA began investigating Audiomaxxx as part of an ongoing program to deter music counterfeiting and piracy. The operation came to CRIA's attention because of the large volume of suspected counterfeit products openly offered for sale on the Internet and the owner's failure to stop selling these products after the issuance of cease-and-desist orders.
Since CRIA began dedicated anti-counterfeiting operations more than a year ago, the association and police have seized more than 400,000 CDs and issued 80 cease-and-desist orders against retailers of illicitly copied music.
The Impact of Piracy and Counterfeiting on Canadian Artists and Rights Holders Piracy and counterfeiting exact a steep toll on artists and rights holders in Canada. This is reflected in significant music sales declines since the advent of widespread unauthorized file-swapping in 1999 and the proliferation of CD and music DVD counterfeiting in recent years. In that time, retail sales of pre-recorded audio products (CDs, digital tracks, etc.) declined by 47 percent, from $1.3 billion in 1999 to $703.7 million in 2006.
For the 11 months ended November 2007, net wholesale shipments of CDs, music DVDs, and other "physical" recorded music formats dropped 16 percent to 37.9 million units from 45.1 million units in the year-earlier period, while the related net wholesale value dropped 20 percent to $382.4 million from $476.3 million.
A 2007 national POLLARA survey found that purchases of counterfeit goods such as music CDs displace legitimate commerce. About half of those who bought counterfeit music, movies or software would have purchased the genuine version had they not purchased a copy (for music, the figure was 43 percent; movies, 45 percent; and software, 44 percent
Posted on March 9, 2008 18:48
i am so happy that this guy get caught he's damn crook
Posted on March 9, 2008 19:00
a nuff producers involved n this crime and them fi guh to prison too because them ago start give to other illegal sellers
Posted on March 9, 2008 19:34
hey this dude deserves to serve life behind bars, i can bet you any moneyy that he's going to get away scotch free
Posted on March 9, 2008 20:24
So Raj MaXXX Outaroad.
Blindfold the pirate an' mek him walk de plank.
Posted on March 10, 2008 06:28
for once I thought this guy was untouchable because I can't believe that for all the years he has been pirating people's work and does get caught well at least now I know he's not the son of an mafia because he's behind bars happy redundancy
Posted on March 10, 2008 07:03
di audio maxx guy brave and thief that's all I can say and we all know a lot of the hungry belly engineers them was supporting audio maxx
Posted on March 10, 2008 11:08
Mi Kno you are so right the engineers was the ones feeding that rass Raj.
Glad to know that the Canadian Govenment did a great job in tracking that theif down.
Posted on March 10, 2008 13:48
why is it someone could not have done something like audiomaxxx but not illegal because to tell you the truth even though what he did was wrong that's where most of the reggae and dancehall lovers bought their cds so someone need to get an legal one up right away
Posted on March 10, 2008 22:16
hey what about the persons who sold them other people's musics and told them it's theirs so a lot of persons going to be jailed soon
Posted on March 10, 2008 22:29
dem fi lock up him bl**d claat and throw away the key them fassy deh nuh come from jamaica and rich off a wi thing
Posted on March 10, 2008 22:46
he was recking the business and don't give back anything to the root but it's a pitty he might get of the hook because him have enough money to get good lawyers
Posted on March 12, 2008 03:26
I just made an order last week from audiomaxxx.com and still haven't received my cd's and dvd's ! Does anyone know how I can get my money back. Who I could contact pertaining to this matter ??
Posted on March 12, 2008 16:44
why the frock did they do that this website use to distribute so frocking good frock the police
Posted on March 16, 2008 05:55
the man was jus trying to earn a livin if him was kill people and robbing people then i would agree with all the comments but the man heed fi eat food .
Posted on March 16, 2008 12:35
im not happy bout audiomaxx bein locked off, its f**kry; audiomaxx done the baddest mix cdz; WHERE R PEEPZ SUPPOST TO GET THEM MIXES NOW????? im screwed, i love bashy mixes n nw mi haffi search road to get them, wen i could get them at the click of a finger
Posted on March 16, 2008 21:30
RAJ it iLioNesS..from all of us in ReGGaeGaLaXy on SOULSEEK...HA.....just a shame it took so long for them get you.. but i guess hunting parasites who hide in the dark isn't always easy....hope they seize all your house cars an whatever else you bought with your theifin money..wickedness can never succeed.....your turn to bow down queen raj..hmmm they should send him down jamaica for some jail time yardie style...let him show he royal self to the people he a rob and rant racist shit against... see if he feel so big after he plucked from behind he computer screen...thanx to canadian government for taking out the trash..
Posted on March 25, 2008 14:52
yo.. people a gwan like seh dem never copy a CD in dem life or buy a DVD from the chiny man Yo black music is hard to get hold of now a days.. man dont but 12' and 45's no more. Show me where i can get the riddims dem to surport artist like kartel and vardo to download legally and i will be more than happy to do so. But the fact is Raj found a whole in the market but he exploited it.
You think seh cos of black people music they did a shut him down, babylon knew for a long time what him a do wid the music ting. They shut him down cos of the PORN!! QueenRaj fi get bun cos him nah like black people and him have not respeck for minors mixing the porn ting in wid the music. BUN DAT!!
Posted on April 17, 2008 20:02
You can never show your face in Jamaica Mr.AudioMaxx!!!!!
Posted on May 13, 2008 13:24
I dont know why every one is on Raj at the end of the day he is one of plenty. what about the producers who are ripping of the artist daily every one is getting thief you, the producers,the artist, the countries the music come from, the community the artist come from and even me ... by my daughter who theifs the cd when she done hear it play. Raj will be making room for who ever is ready to take the risk.This is just the beginning. I agree make such activity like Audio legal, ...But then again if that happens the governments will be making money this time hence NO MORE CHEAP c.ds. all i can say ALL GOOD THINGS COME TO A END......OR MAYBE NOT. No matter what dem caaant stop the music.
Posted on July 4, 2008 22:52
Raj , chin ,fung, de hole a de races na like black people suh me na know y dem want get rich off a black man fruit , fire pon dem man deh a de only ting black man got suh una low it man all kinda funny people pushing dey self in de ting.
Posted on July 6, 2008 04:04
Unnuh a chat f**kry, listen I'm born in canda and raised in jane and finch (da wodds b**tches) and let me tell you that every ras clot person who says its good what happen to audiomax is talking sh*t. Cause their friggin a*s has been there at least 1 time, but its true when dem seh " Black people nevah wah see a nex black man ah do good". I am in the states now and trust when i say that i am missing Audiomaxxx.com because it was a hot website and show off the abilities and culture of jamaicans.
SO F**K YOU DO ALL DA HATERZ!
WHEN YUH BADMIND YUH WILL NEVAH PROSPAH!?
Posted on August 9, 2008 10:46
Yo,
If you are one of them people that bought from the site, you are just as guilty as the guy selling it! Like you didn't know he was a bootleg dealer.
And for that guy that wants his money back for the CD's you didn't get, you should get charged too for supporting this Cunt!
Posted on August 13, 2008 19:38
AUDIO AUDIO AUDIO MAXXXX.COM lmao.....damn Raj they finally catch up w/ yuh coolie skunt...you had a long run and both me and all these other ppl that have posted comments have visited your site listed to the free feeds and some have purchased. Your a great business man i just wished you could have tried to do it a bit more legally but thats a whole different story. The case at hand is that your gone now and theres a great deal of supporters out here that are waiting for your next move and missing the site. Good Luck w/ the legal battle and hold yu head. Betta' must come!!!!