The MPA joins Operation Creative in the fight against online digital piracy

19 August 2016 - Press release

The City of London Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) has welcomed the Music Publishers Association (MPA) as its seventh partner to join Operation Creative, an initiative designed to disrupt and prevent websites from providing unauthorised access to copyrighted content.  

The MPA has joined existing partners the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) the Federation Against Copyright (FACT), The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) the Publishers Association (PA), PRS for music and the Association for UK Interactive Entertainment (UKIE). 

Operation Creative was launched in April 2014 as a unique partnership between the City of London Police and the UK advertising industry. It aims to disrupt criminal profits which are generated from websites providing access to stolen and infringing content such as music, films, books and games. It also protects the creative industry which is understood to support approximately 1.7 million jobs in the UK and account for over 5% of the UK economy. 

The initiative continues to drive the world’s first online portal, the Infringing Website List (IWL), which contains an up to date list of copyright infringing websites which are evidenced by the creative industries and verified by PIPCU. 

To date 1,150 infringing websites have been captured on the IWL and this portal remains a vital tool in sharing information and naming blacklisted sites amongst the partnership.

The head of the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit, Detective Chief Inspector Peter Ratcliffe,said: "I am pleased to welcome the Music Publishers Association to the Operation Creative initiative. The Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) is committed to reducing the impact of intellectual property crime on the UK's creative industries and in Creative we have a wonderful tool to disrupt the infringers' revenue streams and hit them where it hurts them the most.

"I would also like to thank all the existing partners who have helped to make Creative a success. We are entering a new phase in the operation and the widening of Operation Creative's membership can only serve to make it stronger.”

Claire McAuley, General Manager, Music Publishers Association, said: “The MPA's partnership in Operation Creative will strengthen and elevate our involvement in combating piracy, in particular with regards to sheet music, which is unique to the music publishing industry. We are excited to be joining the partners and look forward to working with them in our collective fight against online music piracy.”