California Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 550 (Padilla), a new law aimed at helping reduce music and movie piracy by allowing inspections and verification to ensure that large-scale disc replicating plants are complying with California anti-piracy laws.

The law takes effect 1 January 2012 and allows inspections of CD and DVD replication plants to ensure compliance with anti-piracy laws and identify the CD and DVD plants responsible for pressing fraudulent discs.

In addition, the law allows only those authorities whose primary responsibilities include the investigation of high technology or intellectual property piracy to inspect CD and DVD plants to confirm that the discs include source identification information, a sort of digital fingerprint, as already required by existing law. The law allows the state to impose steep fines when violations are discovered.

“This new law is about protecting California jobs,” says Senator Padilla, the progenitor of the law. “The crime of illegal mass reproduction of music and movies is a serious and growing problem. Last year, more than 820,000 illegal discs were seized by law enforcement in California […] Disc piracy results in diminished tax revenue and job loss in California.”

The Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation estimates that the economic losses in Los Angeles County exceed $3 billion annually and deprives state and local governments of nearly half a billion dollars in tax revenue each year.

Story filed 26.10.11