Copyright clampdown

THE Police and the Namibian Society of Composers and Authors of Music (Nascam) are cracking down on people who ignore copyright laws.

Starting the campaign earlier this month, John Max and Nascam officials travelled to Grootfontein where they presented Police with a workshop on how to recognise pirated CDs, cassette tapes and video recordings. There the Police carried out a 10-day clean-up campaign, visiting shebeens, open markets and other places with commercial jukeboxes.They checked that the CDs in the jukeboxes were legitimate copies.When some were found not to be, the machines were closed down and the illegal CDs confiscated.Max said the operation has been a resounding success with no less than N$23 000 worth of CDs, cassettes and illegally copied videos confiscated up to December 16.Almost 600 illegal copies were confiscated.The owners of the jukeboxes will only be allowed to restart their machines when they replace the pirated CDs with original copies.Max said most of the illegal copies, with the exception of cassette tape recordings, were produced locally, at homes and in backyard computer-assisted copy centres.New local albums, including some by Omaleiti Productions, Feizal MC, Killa B, Gal Level’s ‘Shake It’ and Sunny Boy’s ‘Balance’, as well as The Dogg’s latest, ‘Baby Don’t Go’, were among illegal copies found.”There will be more operations,” Max said, adding that Nascam would work with the Police until July.Max urged anyone entertaining people with music this festive season to ensure that they use original music and support local artists.There the Police carried out a 10-day clean-up campaign, visiting shebeens, open markets and other places with commercial jukeboxes.They checked that the CDs in the jukeboxes were legitimate copies.When some were found not to be, the machines were closed down and the illegal CDs confiscated.Max said the operation has been a resounding success with no less than N$23 000 worth of CDs, cassettes and illegally copied videos confiscated up to December 16.Almost 600 illegal copies were confiscated.The owners of the jukeboxes will only be allowed to restart their machines when they replace the pirated CDs with original copies.Max said most of the illegal copies, with the exception of cassette tape recordings, were produced locally, at homes and in backyard computer-assisted copy centres.New local albums, including some by Omaleiti Productions, Feizal MC, Killa B, Gal Level’s ‘Shake It’ and Sunny Boy’s ‘Balance’, as well as The Dogg’s latest, ‘Baby Don’t Go’, were among illegal copies found.”There will be more operations,” Max said, adding that Nascam would work with the Police until July.Max urged anyone entertaining people with music this festive season to ensure that they use original music and support local artists.