Suspended sentence for sale of illegal CD remixes

A man has been handed a suspended prison sentence for breaking copyright laws by remixing and selling CDs featuring music by famous artists.

Marc Kearns, 47, created and distributed CDs "containing unauthorised remixes of well known tracks, using identifiable elements of original sound recordings without permission from the copyright owners", East Riding of Yorkshire Council said.

He was prosecuted after the authority began a lengthy investigation in June 2019.

Kearns, of Back Lane, East Cowick, near Snaith, pleaded guilty to a number of charges at Hull Crown Court. On Thursday, he was given a 26-month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work.

A council spokesperson said: "This activity enabled him to commercially exploit protected material, generating income at the expense of legitimate artists and businesses within the music industry."

The authority's trading standards officers began investigating after the British Phonographic Industry became aware of the offences in 2018. A warrant was executed in September 2022, the council said.

Cabinet member Lyn Healing said: "Counterfeit and unauthorised goods undermine fair trading and can generate significant illicit profit.

"We will not hesitate to take robust enforcement action where offences are identified, and this sentence sends a clear message that such activity will not be tolerated."

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