Gongoman (20.08.2005 14:51)
Police have arrested a man in Poland who allegedly made a Depeche Mode single and video available to download from the internet ahead of its release. The single, Precious, is not due to be released until October but was found on a Polish website.

The band's record label, working with industry groups, managed to trace the origin of the files. Police said the video was accessed from a supposedly secure copy and illegally made public. An address in Kielce, Poland, was raided by police who removed two computers and a number of CDs said to contain copied music. The International Federation of Phonographic Industries (IFPI) worked with Polish industry group ZPAV and Depeche Mode's label Mute, owned by EMI, to have the files removed.

The arrest is part of a worldwide crackdown on music put on the internet for people to illegally download. The industry says the practice harms not just the profits of the big recording artists, but those that make their living from music such as sound engineers and independent record shops.

Jeremy Banks, head of IFPI's Internet Anti-Piracy Unit said: 'This action shows just how seriously the record companies view pre-release piracy. Pre-releases can be illegally posted, downloaded and distributed worldwide within hours. So it is crucial for the recording industry's cycle of reinvestment to prevent initial sales being lost to internet piracy.