The Mounties get their pirate

Montreal, long considered the Moroccan bazaar of pirated movies has had a major player shut down, as the RCMP arrested a person they described as a well known provider of currently released motion pictures, mere hours after they have debuted at the theatres of Montreal.

It is alleged that Gérémi Adam, 25, had a reputation for putting high-quality pirated films on the Internet, according to RCMP spokesman Noël St-Hilaire. His ability to clean up the shaky cam corder like prints that quickly flood the Internet portals has apparently made him one of the most sought after of alleged post production movie kingpins of the Internet.

The FBI has identified Adam as one of the world leaders in movie pirating, and the MPAA a powerful American lobby group for the Motion Picture industry has long bemoaned the flourishing trade of pirated movies coming out of Quebec.

At one point there was serious talk of with holding releases of movies in Canada as long as Montreal was the Hollywood of the pirate world.

Adam will appear in court in January to face his charges of distributing two pirated movies, if found guilty he may be fined 25,000 per movie and or spend six months in prison.

No doubt, more than capable of putting together a documentary about life in the can, after taking movies fresh from the can.


RCMP charge alleged 'world leader' in movie piracy
Last Updated: Tuesday, December 4, 2007 4:36 PM ET
CBC News

Montreal RCMP have charged a man they allege is a world leader in pirating movies, an arrest they say could help counter Montreal's reputation as a major location for movie piracy.
Gérémi Adam, 25, had a reputation for putting high-quality pirated films on the internet, according to RCMP spokesman Noël St-Hilaire.

"Individuals who can actually take the film, clean it up, make it presentable, put the sound to it, and ship it so it is a quality product, you can probably count those on your fingers on your one hand," St-Hilaire said.

The RCMP said Adam was arrested while using a camcorder to copy a film at a movie theatre in the AMC Forum.

St-Hilaire said the FBI has identified Adam as one of the world leaders in movie pirating.
Michael Robinson — director of North American anti-piracy operations for the Motion Pictures Association of America — said the arrest is a step in the right direction.

The actions here today send an important message that the Canadian government takes [movie piracy] seriously," he said.

Adam is expected in court in late January to face two charges of distributing pirated films.
He faces a fine of up to $25,000, a maximum six-month jail term or both.