Group to expand membership from music into more entertainment properties.
TRAP – the worldwide collective of rights holders and publishers which aims to protect the public from purchasing counterfeit products – is further bolstering its fight against piracy in 2017 with a number of new focuses.
The body – which includes licensees such as Bravado, Danilo, Pyramid and GB eye, as well as Global Merchandising Services and Live Nation – will be expanding membership from music into more entertainment properties.
It will also be working with Government bodies to ensure IP rights are protected and patrolled, as well as increasing operations in the UK and abroad.
TRAP will also look to work across new forms which are historically troublesome.
The body enjoyed a successful 2016 – an approximate value of £8,500,000 worth of product was removed from the market, while 12 convictions resulted in prison time.
Physical actions in 2016 – across high streets, live events and industrial complexes around the UK – resulted in 250,000+ products confiscated from the market. The approximate street value equated to £3,500,000.
Working with Surelock and local authorities and Trading Standards, notable cases included raids in Bradford, Camden and several locations in central London.
Meanwhile, working on Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Redouble, Etsy, Allegro, Rautken, Zazzle and others, 500,000+ direct infringements were removed during the year. This resulted in 7,500 seller accounts being permanently suspended, and over £5,000,000 worth of bootleg product removed.
2016 also saw TRAP expand its boundaries from working solely in the UK to legal action in Europe and the US.
The body has used existing contacts and resources to expand operations online with sites such as ebay.com and amazon.de. It has also employed specialist such as Probandi, which works in eight countries across Eastern Europe, especially at borders working with customs officers.
These actions have resulted in the removal of 1,000s of bootleg product, with further actions being organised for 2017.
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