Yesterday, authorities said they had broken up the operation at 48th and Walnut Streets, arresting one man – whom police did not identify – on suspicion of trademark counterfeiting, and seizing goods with titles ranging from Rocky Balboa and Happy Feet to classics such as Cinderella.
“Anything you want to see in the movies is what’s in here,” Detective Frank Straup said last night, motioning to neat piles, arranged from current titles to older ones, with adult entertainment on one side and CDs in the back.
Films were recorded crudely, with a camera sneaked into a theater. In another room, the heads of the operation – at least two individuals, authorities said – had seven disc burners that produced nine titles at a time.
The apartment served as a manufacturing and distribution center, Straup said. From there, the products would go out, mostly for sale on street corners. […] James Trovarello, an investigations supervisor for the Recording Industry Association of America, which assisted police on the case, said he has been working in West Philadelphia for several years. “It seems to be a hotbed,” said Trovarello, who works in the anti-piracy division.
INQUIRER: You Do Know You Can Get This Shit, Like, LEGALLY At Blockbuster, Right?