Cases and outcomes include the news that two film producers are suing 50,000 BitTorrent users for illegally downloading their movies. The two lawsuits were filed in Washington DC court by the US Copyright Group on behalf of the producers of hit films The Expendables and The Hurt Locker... Federal immigration officials in the US have seized nearly USD 15 million from the bank account of an entrepreneur accused of selling counterfeit security software over the internet. The man was charged in 2008 and declared fugitive after failing to attend subsequent court hearings.... Authorities in the Indian state of Haryana have uncovered the production of fake medicines from the premises of a manufacturer which also makes genuine drugs. Three men, including a company director, have had a criminal case filed against them whilst the factory’s licence has been revoked...

General news stories include Apple filing a patent for mobile devices that could stop people from illegally recording a concert or film. It is understood to be for an invisible infra-red sensor which would be contained inside a handheld device and would search for another signal that would allow or deny it the ability to record footage with the device’s camera... Multinational Unilever has pledged support for Nigeria’s anti-counterfeiting agency, National Agency for Food Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC). At a meeting between the company and NAFDAC, Unilever acknowledged the good work done by the agency... Judges and lawyers from the East African Community, USA and other African countries met to discuss the enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) within the region. Rwanda’s Trade and Industry Minister called for a partnership between government and stakeholders...

Seizures and discoveries include Singapore uncovering unlicensed software worth USD 1.14 million during a raid on a manufacturing company. The raid was based on evidence gained during an investigation by the Business Software Alliance, which was acting on an anonymous tip-off... Customs officials at the port of Long Beach discovered nearly USD 1 million worth of counterfeit memory chips inside a consignment of karaoke machines. The fake goods arrived in a container from China and were counterfeit versions of SanDisk products... Raids by police in Mexico City uncovered 12 tons of pirated movies and over 1000 DVD burners. The raids, in the area of Tepito, uncovered the illegal factory thought to have links to a notorious drug cartel- though police claim not to know who runs the factory...

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General stories include news  that the recording industry has engaged with payment providers and law enforcement to combat the illegal online sale of music. In effect, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry passes over information on illegal downloads to the City of London police, who then contact the providers through whom payment is made in order that appropriate action be taken... The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is to assist South American countries in improving services to local and national users of the IP system. WIPO will assist nine countries in the region develop a platform to support IP... The United States has stated that Chinese search engine Baidu contains many links to websites peddling counterfeit goods. The search engine was amongst 33 companies in several countries that facilitate trade in music, clothing and other goods that are fake or unauthorised copies...

Cases include several large Hollywood studios losing a case against an Australian internet provider, with the court finding that the provider was not responsible for customers illegally downloading films. A ruling in favour of the studios would have made all of Australia’s internet providers liable for their customers’ conduct... A Texas man has been charged with illegally streaming leading sports events and other contact over the internet. The man allegedly made USD 90,000 in advertising revenues from the site and has been charged with criminal infringement of a copyright... A London gang has been jailed for planning to manufacture half a million counterfeit tablets. All three men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud after police uncovered their plans to produce fake drugs worth GBP 1.6 million...

Seizures include US customs authorities seizing a consignment of fake iPads at a Puerto Rican port. The swoop, at Port of Ponce, was on a consignment inbound for China. The goods had been falsely declared as digital photo frames... South African police have arrested 95 people and seized counterfeit goods worth R7 million as part of a major operation in Johannesburg. In addition to the goods and arrests, the swoop also netted quantities of cocaine, along with stolen vehicles... Jamaica’s Customs Department has seized over 4 million fake Marlboro cigarettes. The goods, reportedly originating in China, were seized at Kingston container terminal...

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