CD Wow in court over 'grey CD imports'

Found on Silicon.com on Wednesday, 21 February 2007
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Music industry trade body the BPI (British Phonographic Industry) is seeking a contempt of court order against e-tailer CD Wow, after the company was accused by the BPI of continuing 'grey imports' of CDs from abroad.

The BPI is now seeking a finding that CD Wow is in contempt of Court; a fine payable to the crown by CD Wow; an order that CD Wow pay damages for breach of copyright; and an order that CD Wow pay the UK record industry's costs.

The etailer added it may face closure if it loses the battle with the BPI.

The legal wrangling between the two was initially concluded in 2004 when they reached an out-of-court settlement which saw pounds added to the price of CDs after CD Wow switched from sourcing its goods from Asia to Europe.

CD Wow suggested in emails to customers that the price rises were imposed on it, a claim the BPI refuted leading to an injunction preventing the CD seller from repeating the claims.

Global business is fun as long as it doesn't work against you, eh? It's well known that in some parts of the world legal CD's/DVD's are ridiculously cheap compared to the rest. But even then, the copyright fees are paid since the retailers got them from official channels. However, if someone imports them, effectively doing customers a favor, he breaches copyright? That isn't much better than those brainless region codes for DVD's which are meant to stop global business.