Authorities Say Counterfeit DVDs, CDs Are Making Way To N.C.

Authorities recently confiscated nearly 20,000 CDs and more than 3,000 DVDs from vendors at a Nash County flea market.

"We've had experience with this before and taken large quantities, but nothing of this magnitude before," said Chief William Hogan, of the Rocky Mount Police Department.

An undercover detective at Rocky Mount said consumers can see some signs that the products are counterfeit such as poor quality covers and no shrink wrap.

Authorities also say one of the biggest giveaways is if the movie has not been released yet on DVD. Some of the counterfeit DVDs included "The Hulk" and "2 Fast 2 Furious," both of which have come out recently.

Authorities also say counterfeit goods are eating up profits, especially from independent music stores.

"Tuesdays used to be a very big day for us. People would be here early in the morning to buy the new releases. Now, it doesn't happen anymore because they go elsewhere or they already have it before they even come out," store owner D.J. Rangar said.

Rangar said the industry has suffered massive losses to digital piracy in the past three years.

"Even since 2000 when everything got popular with downloading and Napster, sales have come down with new releases, with CDs 7 percent to 8 percent each year, and it's adding up," he said.

Officials say counterfeit DVDs usually do not compare to genuine DVDs. Many are made by sellers who videotape the screen during a real movie. Officials say the quality of a counterfeit DVD can be so bad that you can ruin your eyes trying to watch one. Plus, some movie scenes are completely left out of a counterfeit DVD.