eBay.co.uk and The Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), have today launched a campaign to educate consumers on how to buy and sell DVDs safely on eBay.

eBay and FACT want to remind eBay sellers that listing pirated DVDs is illegal and ensure that buyers know they are bidding on legitimate products from reputable sellers.

The campaign includes a buying and selling guide which is now available on eBay.co.uk.  The guide is written by FACT, the audio-visual industry’s trade organisation dedicated to fighting piracy. The guide warns eBay users of the dangers of – and penalties for – selling pirated DVDs, which include up to ten years imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine, and provides buyers with specific advice on how to avoid buying a pirated DVD: http://pages.ebay.co.uk/buy/guides/dvd-fact-buying-guide/

FACT works closely with law enforcement agencies and eBay to combat the growth of piracy on the Internet.  Working together, a joint FACT and eBay investigation ultimately led to the recent arrest of a seller from Bradford, who received a prison sentence and was hit with a £55,000 confiscation order.  Cases such as this show how effective collaboration can be.