Pre-release 'pirate' arrested

A man has been arrested in Portsmouth on suspicion of being involved in a gang that uploaded several pre-release versions of music albums to the web.

The 33-year-old, who has not been named, was arrested last week and is suspected of belonging to a group known as DV8.

The group allegedly uploaded more than 2,500 titles and a quantity of promotional CDs and computer equipment were also siezed in the operation.

David Lammy MP, Minister of State for Intellectual Property, said: "This successful operation sends a clear message - we are serious about tackling the problem of Intellectual Property theft."

The arrest came after a joint investigation by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), groups that guard the rights of intellectual property owners.

David Wood, director of Anti-Piracy at the BPI, commented: "We believe that a full forensic examination of the equipment recovered will yield a lot of useful evidence and intelligence about the 'scene' and the criminal activities of those involved in pre-release music uploading."