April 2, 2009 – The Los Angeles Police Department, Anti-Piracy Unit, handles investigations involving the enforcement of middle to high level organized manufacturing and distribution rings of counterfeit CD’s and DVD’s. Additionally, their responsibilities include the enforcement of intellectual property crimes at retail/wholesale locations that are involved in the sale of counterfeit items including jewelry, purses, clothing, sunglasses and shoes. The Anti-Piracy Unit is one of the few units in law enforcement that investigates counterfeit/piracy crimes on a full time basis.
The Anti-Piracy Unit consists of five detectives and one police officer and is tasked with investigating Piracy/Intellectual Property crimes throughout the City of Los Angeles. The Department’s Area Vice Units focus and takes appropriate enforcement action on street level vendors and distributors. Moreover, the Anti-Piracy Unit generates, develops and actively investigates their individual cases. The unit works closely with members and consultants (private investigators) from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and such name-brand companies as Coach, Louis Vuitton and Chanel.
Personnel from each organization are actively involved in the enforcement and seizure of counterfeit merchandise related to their respective companies. Each has their own “hotline” on their respective internet sites, and each will pay for information on counterfeit suspects and/or locations. On most occasions, the MPAA, RIAA (whether CD’s or DVD’s) or name brand owners will hire private investigators to examine the work product from these locations and/or suspects. Their inspection will normally include surveillance and the purchasing of counterfeit goods from the targeted suspect(s). Once they have developed the preliminary case, they will present their findings to the Anti-Piracy Unit. Portions of the case will be corroborated and a search warrant, if acceptable will be written.
On April 2, 2009, investigators assigned to the Anti-Piracy Unit along with uniform patrol officers from Central Area served a search warrant at eight individual business establishments inside of the Maple Plaza located at 1000 S. Maple Ave in the Santee Alley area of downtown Los Angeles. Undercover investigations and surveillance operations determined that the retail businesses were heavily involved in the sales and distribution of counterfeit purses and jewelry. During this investigation it was determined that several other businesses within the plaza were also inundated with counterfeit items. A total of six million dollars in counterfeit merchandise was recovered during the search warrant operation. In addition, four suspects were arrested for violation 350 (a) (2) P.C. (Trademark Infringement) including one juvenile.
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