eBay UK has begun removing offers for pirated DVDs of the Live 8 concert from its site. The move can after the music industry complained that unauthorised copies of the Hyde Park extravaganza were being put up for auction.
According to Reuters, the DVDs showing concert footage from both the London and Philadelphia shows were being offered for up to £16 each.
Days before the concert, eBay UK had been slammed by organiser Bob Geldof as an electronic pimp that was making money from other people’s misery after touts were found to be offering tickets to the concert for hundreds of pounds. This time, eBay moved much more quickly.
The difference, apart from the understandable desire not to feel the rough end of Geldof’s tongue again, is that selling copyright material is illegal while selling free tickets at inflated prices is not. In a statement eBay said: ‘The unauthorised copies of Live 8 DVDs we have been told about have been taken down, because the sale of fake items is not permitted on eBay.co.uk.’
The whole Live 8 event has proved a boon to the pirates and bootleggers. According to reports Live 8 songs were pirated and were appearing on p2p sites within hours of their performance on the stage.
However, not everyone is keen to cash in on the event. Dave Gilmour, the guitarist with Pink Floyd which reformed specially for the show after 24 years has refused to make any money from the show. He says that he will donate to Live8 the royalties that he receives from a boost in sales of Floyd albums following the event.
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