A man has been found guilty of pirating music, following a joint investigation by PRS for Music and City of London’s Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU). PRS for Music described it as a ‘milestone case’ after Wayne Evans from Liverpool was sentenced to 12 months in prison.
Evans uploaded songs from the Official Chart Company’s top 40 to torrent sites, with people all over the world downloading them. He also hosted some songs on his own website. PRS claim he could have cost the music industry millions in lost revenue.
Simon Bourn, PRS for Music’s head of litigation, enforcement and anti-piracy, said: ‘Music piracy on a commercial scale is a serious criminal offence and this sentencing by the Crown Court acknowledges that. Copyright infringement has a severe impact on the livelihoods of creators and so it is important that PRS for Music, alongside PIPCU, continues to champion and protect our members’ rights.
It is the first time a joint PRS for Music and PIPCU investigation has led to a custodial sentence.