Londonderry shopkeeper Daniel McDaid was fined a total of £200 at Londonderry Magistrates’ Court for selling counterfeit DVD’S in December 2008.

In a case brought by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment’s Trading Standards Service, Mr McDaid, trading as ‘Box Office Rentals’, Beechwood Avenue, Londonderry, pleaded guilty to 15 charges under the Trade Marks Act 1994. The court fined Mr McDaid £50 each for the first four counts and imposed conditional discharges for the remaining 11. Mr McDaid was also ordered to pay £24 court costs and a forfeiture order was imposed for the counterfeit DVDs.

In October 2007 Trading Standards Investigating Officer Raymond Dolan visited the shop where he discovered over 1,200 DVDs which did not appear to be genuine. These DVDs were seized and forwarded to the trademark holders for examination, and were later confirmed as infringing copies.

Investigating Officer Raymond Dolan said: “Mr McDaid was actively misleading his customers by supplying counterfeit DVDs, including many recent film releases at that time.

“The public, as well as legitimate businesses, need to be protected from unscrupulous trading practices. This case should serve as a warning to other businesses that legal action will be taken to protect consumers who are misled about goods which are sold to them.”