Copyright Law

Canadian Music Industry Busts Record Store for Selling Import CDs

By Jared Moya

Owner says it’s silly “to go after a man who is essentially supporting the recording industry when illegally downloaded music is rampant.”

The Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) is about as intelligent as its counterpart to the south, doing everything in its power to make enemies out of both consumers and those actually willing to bother with the hassle of selling copyrighted music in the first place.

Take the case of David Nolan, 60, owner and operator of Legend Records, an independent music store in Ottawa, Canada.

An undercover agent from the CRIA discovered that Nolan was selling CDs that violated Canadian copyright law for not having bar codes, and subsequently notified the authorities who then raided his store back in April.

Some 500 CDs were seized in the raid and 294 were determined to be in violation of Canadian copyright law.

Late last week Nolan faced a judge, and after a “reluctant pause, plead guilty to possessing 100 illegal CDs, a figure agreed to as part of a comprise with the CRIA.

?I can?t believe I?m standing here right now,? Nolan said outside court. ?I?ve never bought a pirated item in my life.?

The CRIA agreed to allow for a conditional discharge of case so long as Nolan donates $1000 to charity of his choice within 3 months.

?I can?t afford to fight it,” he added. “It?s such a shame.”

He says he sometimes has to import CDs from outside Canada and North America altogether to meet the needs of customers who like rare CDs that record labels just aren’t pressing anymore, and that quitting the practice will just further harm the recorded music business.

Nolan said he felt “ripped off” and that he’s angry that he just cant believe that the music industry would dare go after a guy who has a collection of “500,000 to a million recordings,” especially since it’s guys like him who are helping keep the industry afloat.

I’m just surprised that Nolan is surprised. At no point has the music industry ever been concerned with anything other than profits. Always has and always will.

Stay tuned.

jared@zeropaid.com

Full post as published by ZeroPaid on December 21, 2009 (boomark / email).