August 22, 2005 9:21

Man arrested over illegal Depeche Mode download

Polish police clamp down after ’Precious’ hits the internet before official release…

A man has been arrested by police in Poland after he allegedly made a Depeche Mode single and video available to download from the internet ahead of its official release date.

The track ’Precious’, which is not due to hit the shops until October, was found on a Polish website and the band’s record label – along with industry groups – managed to trace the origins of the files.

Police said that the video was illegally made public after it was accessed from a supposedly secure copy.

Two computers and a number of CDs said to contain copied music were removed by police after they raided an address in Kielce.

According to BBC News, Polish industry group ZPAV and Depeche Mode’s label Mute helped the International Federation Of Phonographic Industries (IFPI) to have the files removed.

Head of IFPI’s Internet Anti-Piracy Unit, Jeremy Banks said: “This action shows just how seriously the record companies view pre-release piracy.”

He added: “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."

The arrest is part of a worldwide clampdown on illegal filesharing.