Market Forces Give Barras A Bad Name

[MSNwar]

"Scotland?s most famous market is earning the reputation as Europe?s epicentre of trade in counterfeit DVDs and CDs, reports Mark Macaskill.

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.

Rest of the story: http://www.dvdwriters.co.uk/