By Roman Zakaluzny
Canada's visually impaired can treasure the loot taken from music pirates.
The recording industry yesterday gave the Canadian National Institute for the Blind about $50,000 worth of duplicating equipment and blank CDs seized in a crackdown on piracy.
"It's like Christmas," said CNIB director Karen Taylor, noting the gift will double their ability to produce "talking books," an increasingly popular way for visually impaired Canadians to enjoy their favourite literature.
More than 30,000 blank CDs and three high-speed CD burning towers were seized at a Markham store last February -- the largest RCMP bust of pirated materials to date.
After the court case, the RCMP contacted the Canadian Recording Industry Association about the equipment and CDs seized under Canada's "proceeds-of-crime" laws.
"The RCMP asked us to get it out of their lock-up right away," said Ken Thompson, a director of the CRIA's anti-piracy office.
Association president Brian Robertson said the recording industry has a close relationship with the institute for the blind, and "we thought the three CD duplicators could produce great talking books."
The CNIB circulates more than 1.3 million talking books a year through the free library services it offers to three million blind, visually impaired and print-disabled Canadians.
On Dec. 10, three people were each given two years probation and fined $25,000 for importing and manufacturing counterfeit CDs.