NYPD raid on NYC's Kim's Video

Fussy, Fussy details. Which agency's name is on the search warrant and who
granted it? Wonder which media company paid for this one.

Have Fun,
Sends Steve


> i'm forwarding a thread from another list that i thought some might be
> interested in here.
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
>> ——————————
>>
>> Date: Fri, 10 Jun 2005 10:31:46 -0400
>> Subject: New York, Police Raid on Kim's Video
>>
>> This week Kim's Video in the East Village was raided by the NYPD and
>> many staff were arrested. Kim's is a very unique, independent video
>> source for the city. The police were able to identify some pirated
>> material in the collection. Are there any similar stories of a
>> library or archive being raided by the cops looking for pirated
>> material? Do any archives have a procedure on what to do, if the feds
>> show up looking for particular titles?
>>
>> http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/10/nyregion/10kim.html
>> http://www.gawker.com/news/culture/crime/kims-video-invaded-by-the-50
>> -107222.php
>>
>> http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1503863/20050609/50\_cent.jhtml?
>> headlines=true
>>
>> David Rice
>> Archivist
>> Democracy Now!
>>
>>
>> Date: Fri, 10 Jun 2005 11:22:45 EDT
>> Subject: Re: New York, Police Raid on Kim's Video
>>
>> To be fair, as much as I love Kim's, they are probably very guilty of
>> copying
>> and distributing these titles – after all, everybody goes to them for
>> titles
>> they can't get through normal channels and it's their claim to fame,
>> something they actively advertize, and why they do such great
>> business. A good
>> argument can be made that there's actually not much difference
>> ethically from selling
>> 100 dupes of Star Wars on the street corner than one dupe of a rare
>> Fassbinder title. (Though the question of taste arises.) However, I
>> think arresting the
>> staff is way overboard.
>>
>> Libraries and archives are in a different situation, though there were
>> raids
>> of collectors and at least one university (mine) back in the 1960s
>> through the
>> 1980s including Roddy McDowell! Studios have stopped this because they
>> found
>> it better to work with everybody than prosecuting.
>>
>> Dennis Doros
>> Milestone Film & Video
>>
>
>> Date: Fri, 10 Jun 2005 11:32:32 -0400
>> Subject: Re: New York, Police Raid on Kim's Video
>>
>>> …there were raids of collectors and at least one university (mine)
>>> back in the 1960s through the 1980s including Roddy McDowell!
>>
>> Detailed info on this at The Smoking Gun:
>>
>> "In 1974, the FBI raided the Hollywood home of Roddy McDowall and
>> seized the actor's large collection of pirated films. The search,
>> conducted as part of a copyright infringement probe, turned up films
>> agents valued at more than $5 million. McDowall, who was not charged,
>> cooperated with the FBI, giving agents the names of those with whom he
>> bought and sold pirated films, according to these FBI records obtained
>> by The Smoking Gun. In a lengthy written statement, the "Planet of the
>> Apes" star even fingered other entertainers who collected such
>> films–actor Rock Hudson, singer Mel Torme, and comedian Dick Martin
>> (of Rowan & Martin)."
>>
>> http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/roddy1.html
>>
>> –
>> ;;;::;;;::;;;::;;;::;;;::;;;::;;;::;;;::;;;::;;;::;;;::;;;::;;;::;;;
>> Jeff Economy
>> Independent Filmmaker
>>
>
>> Date: Fri, 10 Jun 2005 09:00:21 -0700
>> Subject: Kim's Video
>>
>> I pass by Kim

Giggle! This is why I don't like NYC. I wonder who paid who what to have
this done. Why did the "competent authority" grant a search warrant and
which Assisatant to the Assistant DA decided to lay charges and who he is
a freind of and all those good NYC things.

Have Fun,
Sends Steve


> i'm forwarding a thread from another list that i thought some might be
> interested in here.
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
>> ——————————
>>
>> Date: Fri, 10 Jun 2005 10:31:46 -0400
>> Subject: New York, Police Raid on Kim's Video
>>
>> This week Kim's Video in the East Village was raided by the NYPD and
>> many staff were arrested. Kim's is a very unique, independent video
>> source for the city. The police were able to identify some pirated
>> material in the collection. Are there any similar stories of a
>> library or archive being raided by the cops looking for pirated
>> material? Do any archives have a procedure on what to do, if the feds
>> show up looking for particular titles?
>>
>> http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/10/nyregion/10kim.html
>> http://www.gawker.com/news/culture/crime/kims-video-invaded-by-the-50
>> -107222.php
>>
>> http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1503863/20050609/50\_cent.jhtml?
>> headlines=true
>>
>> David Rice
>> Archivist
>> Democracy Now!
>>
>>
>> Date: Fri, 10 Jun 2005 11:22:45 EDT
>> Subject: Re: New York, Police Raid on Kim's Video
>>
>> To be fair, as much as I love Kim's, they are probably very guilty of
>> copying
>> and distributing these titles – after all, everybody goes to them for
>> titles
>> they can't get through normal channels and it's their claim to fame,
>> something they actively advertize, and why they do such great
>> business. A good
>> argument can be made that there's actually not much difference
>> ethically from selling
>> 100 dupes of Star Wars on the street corner than one dupe of a rare
>> Fassbinder title. (Though the question of taste arises.) However, I
>> think arresting the
>> staff is way overboard.
>>
>> Libraries and archives are in a different situation, though there were
>> raids
>> of collectors and at least one university (mine) back in the 1960s
>> through the
>> 1980s including Roddy McDowell! Studios have stopped this because they
>> found
>> it better to work with everybody than prosecuting.
>>
>> Dennis Doros
>> Milestone Film & Video
>>
>
>> Date: Fri, 10 Jun 2005 11:32:32 -0400
>> Subject: Re: New York, Police Raid on Kim's Video
>>
>>> …there were raids of collectors and at least one university (mine)
>>> back in the 1960s through the 1980s including Roddy McDowell!
>>
>> Detailed info on this at The Smoking Gun:
>>
>> "In 1974, the FBI raided the Hollywood home of Roddy McDowall and
>> seized the actor's large collection of pirated films. The search,
>> conducted as part of a copyright infringement probe, turned up films
>> agents valued at more than $5 million. McDowall, who was not charged,
>> cooperated with the FBI, giving agents the names of those with whom he
>> bought and sold pirated films, according to these FBI records obtained
>> by The Smoking Gun. In a lengthy written statement, the "Planet of the
>> Apes" star even fingered other entertainers who collected such
>> films–actor Rock Hudson, singer Mel Torme, and comedian Dick Martin
>> (of Rowan & Martin)."
>>
>> http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/roddy1.html
>>
>> –
>> ;;;::;;;::;;;::;;;::;;;::;;;::;;;::;;;::;;;::;;;::;;;::;;;::;;;::;;;
>> Jeff Economy
>> Independent Filmmaker
>>
>
>> Date: Fri, 10 Jun 2005 09:00:21 -0700
>> Subject: Kim's Video
>>
>> I pass by Kim

All of that is absolutely true as far as I'm aware. When it emerged that police seized 'Apocalypse Oz' DVDs it threw everyone as the raid had appeared initially to be entirely a music business initiative. it still isn't clear where it will lead. Certainly the issue is quite different from that of copyright infringement by virtue of mere CD copying. This is an original film that works more like a remix at the script level - but not in terms of the material itself. Whatever next?