Seizures and discoveries last week include one in Thailand, 35,000 counterfeit brand-name watches were impounded by the Department of Special Investigation… UK officials seized a shipment of fake designer children’s shoes worth more than £2 million… A year-long investigation led to a major operation in Argentina by the coast guard that yielded 5 million discs containing movies and music… Other seizures of pirated movies and music took place in Brazil, Malaysia and the US… In Bangladesh, twenty-one people died after drinking spurious alcohol.

Cases and outcomes last week include a man in South Africa being given three years of house arrest and a suspended jail sentence after pirating DVDs… In Canada, the owner of popular torrent tracker site Isohunt.com is asking the Supreme Court of British Columbia to rule on whether he is violating the Copyright Act.

Policy developments last week include the French Senate voting 297-15 in favour of the 'three-strikes' law, which aims to tackle online piracy of music, movies and games.

Studies and reports out last week include one from the US Border and Customs Protection Authorities that found during fiscal 2008, more than 400 shipments of counterfeit and pirated goods were seized with a domestic value of nearly $100 million, an increase of more than 50 percent in value from the previous year.