Dubai // The leader of a gang that illegally imported and sold thousands of DVDs was jailed for two months yesterday in what officials heralded as a "landmark" sentence. The shop manager was also fined Dh20,000 (US$5,400) and will be deported on his release, officials said. His nationality was not disclosed. Five other men were fined and warned after all admitted to their involvement.
The Ministry of Economy said the case marked the Middle East's first jail sentence for parallel importing. The practice, also known as the "grey market", involves genuine products that are bought legitimately in another country and then imported without the copyright holder's permission. Officials said the case had been years in the making. It followed raids on a Dubai warehouse by undercover police officers, working with the ministry and the Arabian Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAA), which campaigns against the violation of intellectual property rights.
More than 25,000 DVDs were seized. They had come from the US and other countries. All distributors have to be registered to sell films, which go through the censors before they are put out. Scott Butler, chief executive of the alliance, said: "This reinforces the system established by the Ministry of Economy on processing movie titles. People circumventing the chain should know that they can by prosecuted.
"This was a complicated case which involved a lot of co-ordination between AAA, government and undercover police. "The result is worth it, however, and serves as a strong precedent against parallel imports which we can expect to further reduce this type of crime." Mr Butler said the alliance alerted authorities about the gang, after which Dubai Police and the ministry organised the raid. "There are recognised distributors who go through the proper government process before it is legally sold," Mr Butler said.
"This individual just brought it in wholesale from various sources in the US and other countries and started selling them here." Mohammed Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Alshihhi, the ministry's general manager, said: "While this landmark court ruling has underlined the UAE's position as the safest business hub in the Middle East, it also reflects the country's stringent stance on piracy. "In countries like Saudi Arabia, we are yet to see an imprisonment - even in cases of piracy, which are much worse there."
In the UAE, product piracy can bring jail. One man who had 850 pirated CDs was given eight months. pmenon@thenational.ae
