Grampian Police, together with BPI Anti Piracy Unit (APU) investigators and the PPL, made significant seizures and a 51-year-old male was detained. He was found to have illegally downloaded music content via uTorrent for use on unlicensed jukeboxes, which he supplied to hundreds of licensed premises. He made a significant income from his activities and was found to have had over £10,000 cash in his car alone.

The authorities also visited all the licensed premises that they were aware of and forcibly removed the offending jukeboxes from the walls. Grampian Police, the PPL and BPI APU are keen to hear of any further sites, which may still be operating illegal jukeboxes and the investigation continues.

Richard Stewart Head of Dubbing & Tariff Development at
PPL said, “The PPL and BPI have spent the last two years working on this particular case. Following on from the recent successes in Newcastle Crown court against illegal jukebox providers, it further illustrates the fact that PPL is determined to protect the interests of its members and the legitimate suppliers in the market. Anyone who has any concerns about the legitimacy of their music supplier should contact PPL directly and we will be pleased to advise them.”

Chris Black of jukebox manufacturer Sound Leisure hopes this action will send out a strong message to illegal suppliers. He said, “Unlicensed jukeboxes featuring illegally downloaded music are damaging to everyone in the industry. It is impossible for legitimate operators and manufacturers to compete and we are all losing valuable business because of it. It is essential that anyone considering investing in a digital jukebox should ensure that they use a reputable supplier.”

“We work very hard to source music for the jukeboxes we supply and to negotiate the licences to make sure that the artists are properly remunerated,” adds Simon Davis from Soundnet. “When tracks are illegally downloaded and played from unlicensed jukeboxes, it makes a mockery of the system that we, and other companies in the industry have worked so hard to put into place. We are really pleased that this individual has been stopped and would like to congratulate the PPL and the BPI on their hard work.”

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