Glasgow Barras 'Europes Piracy Epicentre'

Scotland's most famous market, the Barras in Glasgow, is earning the reputation as Europe's epicentre of trade in counterfeit DVDs and CDs, according to a report in The Sunday Times.

At Glasgow's Barras market last Sunday, it was business as usual. Traders in woollen hats and thick jumpers, boomed out the latest bargains over the chatter of the crowd. Some shuffled from one foot to the other to keep warm. Others sipped hot tea, their breath visible in the winter chill. The air was thick with the smell of hot dogs and burgers.

On a stall made from upturned crates and a strip of cheap timber, a boy - he looked barely 15 years old - was selling the latest DVDs and CDs. Many of the films on DVD were still in cinemas, others had not yet been released for sale or rental.

"All films a fiver," he shouted, as the Christmas bargain hunters jostled for position. Suddenly the crowd parted. A middle-aged man came through the throng, cursing and shouting, clutching a black bin liner bulging with DVDs and CDs. The boy shot a worried glance up the lane and, without hesitation, fled.

Within seconds, two police officers appeared and began calmly confiscating the display. "Just take stuff," a woman screamed at the onlooking crowd, "they cannae do anything, just take what you want."

More traders scampered past clutching sacks full of counterfeit goods with the police in hot pursuit. One trader dropped a holdall crammed with DVDs as the police gave chase. Two others hopped over a barrier into a car park and threw their bounty into the back of a waiting van. Such scenes are now commonplace at the Barras, as the authorities wage war on the sellers of illegal goods that invade the market every week. Last weekend a huge number of counterfeit items were seized in co-ordinated raids by the police, anti-counterfeit experts and Customs and Excise officers. The haul included more than 800 CDs, 900 DVDs and 40 computer games.

Similar raids will take place today, but everyone involved admits that stamping out the 'culture of crime' that seems to becoming more prevelant at the Barras is proving difficult. "We'd have more success fighting the tide," said one.

"Police are constantly in the market, but they are playing a cat and mouse game with traders," said John McGowan, Scotland's senior investigator with the Federation Against Copyright Theft (Fact). "The traders are so well-established they look upon this as a permanent source of income. They are reluctant to give it up, but we are drawing up a strategy with the police, the fiscal and other agencies to fight this. This culture has to be broken."

Legitimate traders and the Barras trust are working with FACT and the police to eradicate the problem, but there is little doubt it is spreading. The trust blames 'fly traders' which it says operates in unlicensed areas. According to McGowan, the Barras is Europe's number one counterfeit market. If it can be copied, faked or imitated, the chances are you'll find it here.

Within a few minutes of arriving on Sunday afternoon, I was able to buy DVDs of Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, and the Christmas film Elf - both of which are currently in cinemas - for £5 each. Russell Crowe's latest blockbuster, Master and Commander was, they assured me, coming soon. In addition I picked up a packet of tobacco for £5 - normal retail price £8 - and two bottles of Hugo Boss aftershave for £10 each. In the high street the same brand costs £40.

Each weekend the police carry out up to six raids at the market. Yet within hours the same traders are back at their pitches. In the past year, despite more than 100 arrests, not one conviction has been secured against a Barras trader. It is estimated that some earn up to £20,000 a week from their illegal activities.

Senior police officers and anti-counterfeit experts like McGowan say the Scottish legal establishment is not equipped to deal with the problem. Many prosecuters, they say, do not understand copyright law or the notion of intellectual property theft. By contrast, in England, where many more cases have come to court, anti-piracy agencies detect a firmer grasp of the issues involved.

It is the legitimate traders, including the honest stallholders who have suffered intimidation at the hands of illegal traders, who suffer and the impact is acute around Christmas. In recent years, high street losers have included Tower Records, and now many smaller businesses are facing a lean festive season.

"I think it's bloody criminal these guys get away with illegal trading," said a spokesman for a leading video chain, who wished to remain anonymous. "If a legitimate business was caught selling counterfeit goods, trading standards would be here within minutes. Many small shops are in despair. Local businesses are losing up to 20% in profits because of counterfeit traders. Questions have to be asked about why this is being allowed to continue."

Pat Ferguson, an investigator with the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), added: "Most shops in Glasgow will tell you they are being affected. The Barras is at the centre of the counterfeiting industry in Britain, indeed Europe. It's costing the government millions in lost revenue every year."

In one of life's delicious ironies, the Barras was founded more than 100 years ago by the enterprising daughter of an Ayrshire policeman. Margaret Russell, a young Glaswegian woman who grew up in the city's east end, rented out horses and carts to itinerant traders. As the business grew she expanded into Moncur Street, leasing barrows for public trading on Saturday mornings. And so the Barrowlands, affectionately known as the Barras, was born.

Its heyday was the late 1950s and 1960s as prosperity returned to post-war Britain, but many goods were still in short supply. The most popular items were clothing, such as cheap underwear and costume jewellery. Elvis and the Everly Brothers boomed on loudspeakers; back then, the Barras was one big innocent street party. It was a family day out.

Fast forward 50 years and there is evidence that criminals have moved into the market to control the counterfeit goods that are peddled in its lanes. Four or five 'Mr Bigs' are said to have the business sewn up.

There is logic to the rise in intellectual property theft in Scotland. It is more profitable and less risky than dealing in drugs and the punishment - if a trader is convicted - is much lighter.

The police admit they have a fight on their hands. The traders have a number of ruses to outwit them, and their use of youngsters is a particular concern. For about £40 a day they are employing teenagers as police 'spotters'. These kids are also used as runners to collect stock from nearby locations when the stalls are running low. About two months ago, three girls aged 14, 15 and 16 were arrested. The police discovered that they were being paid £30 a day, plus lunch, to work as runners and spotters. Their parents had no idea what they were up to.

For the police officers taking part in the weekly raids, it is a never-ending battle. Last Sunday one officer, who had just recovered a sports bag crammed with counterfeit DVDs at the Barras, smiled wryly when asked what impact the raids were having.

"You can see for yourself the sheer volume of stuff that's being sold," he said. "There are spotters everywheree, which makes our job much harder. But we'll keep going."

Later that day I sat down to watch Kill Bill. Unfortunately my enjoyment of the film was marred by the grainy picture. The sound also faltered and on one occasion the picture turned into a mess of green pixels. What do you expect for £5?

Story source: timesonline.co.uk.