ADDyVAniCH / SHuTTErSToCk News Cigarettes, clothing and alcohol top IP crime list Online streaming of television programmes from illegitimate sources is the main challenge facing enforcers and intellectual property holders, according to the latest 2015/16 IP Crime Report, published by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO). The Department for Culture Media and Sport estimates the value of the UKs IP sector to be more than 84bn, with around 350,000 people employed in the design industry alone. The main challenges identified by the report include: Online illegal downloading continues to threaten the stability of markets for digital content Set-top boxes and the proliferation of Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) offer viewers increasingly easy access to pirated digital content Resources at borders and internally, law enforcers require resources to improve the rates of seizure of counterfeit goods For trading standards specifically, cigarettes, clothing and alcohol remain the most investigated products. Cosmetics and perfume enteredthe top 10 most-investigated products for the first time, while DVDs and CDs have slipped down the list, with CDs falling outside the top 10 for the first time since 2010-11. Hoverboards and online streaming via set-top boxes entered the list for the first time, in 12th and 15th place respectively. Ordinary shops are still the most investigated location by trading standards, followed by social media and websites, with private residences taking fourth place, just ahead of online auction rooms. There has been an increase in the proactive monitoring of social media sites by trading standards. The top three offences linked to intellectual property crime remain benefit fraud, money laundering and organised criminal networks, and there has been a small increase in the total average of staff days dedicated to tackling IP crime since 2014/15. What is clear from the responses is that intellectual property crime remains a priority for trading standards officers, and long may this continue, says the report. The IPOs IP Enforcement 2020 strategy has been launched, setting the enforcement agenda to: Reduce the level of illegal content online Tackle trade in counterfeit goods Facilitate easier access to justice Increase education, awareness and respect for IP Make it safer for UK rights-holders to trade internationally Improve its evidence base Silent killers Consumer champion Which? has alerted trading standards and the Council of Gas Detection and Environmental Monitoring to its recent investigation into carbon monoxide detectors, which found one in five does not work. Which? put 16 detectors through rigorous lab tests based on the EU safety standard; three of the 16 devices were so bad that, between them, they failed to go off 26 times in 72 carbon monoxide tests. The other 13 detectors, which are all well-known brands and carry the BSI Kitemark, passed every one of the tests. Amazon and eBay have removed the defective alarms plus seven similar-looking detectors from sale on their websites. Farmer found guilty of animal cruelty bAronb / SHuTTErSToCk A farmer from Somerset has been found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to animals after an investigation by Devon and Somerset Trading Standards, with support from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). Edgar John Keedwell, of Breach Hill Farm, Chew Stoke, was convicted of 13 offences after a two-day trial at North Somerset Magistrates Court. Keedwell was found to have caused unnecessary suffering to 19 sheep under his care, which he kept in fields at Rains Batch, near Charterhouse, Somerset, last winter. When Devon and Somerset Trading Standards officers and APHA visited the site, two animals were so weak and emaciated that they had to be destroyed, while the rest needed urgent treatment. They also found dozens of rotting sheep carcasses in fields containing live sheep and two large stockpiles of decomposing carcasses in a heap andin a trailer at the bottom of one of the fields. Before the visits from trading standards, Keedwell had not consulted a vet about why his flock had such a high mortality rate, or taken appropriatesteps for proper disposal. He also failed to keep a record ofmortalities. The court heard that Keedwell had not sought veterinary advice for his animals, who suffered variously from lesions, infections and lameness. Onesheep was found to have an abscess. He also failed to isolate sick or injured sheep promptly in suitable accommodation and, despite requests by a visiting trading standards officer, failed to treat a ewe for fly strike. Sentencing will take place on 8 November. Social media scam on the rise There has been increase in online scams involving Facebook, WhatsApp and PayPal. Social media accounts are hacked and the friends of the victims are then duped into making PayPal transactions. Fraudsters hack into Facebook accounts and then contact the hacked victims friends, asking them for their phone numbers so they can communicate through WhatsApp. The friends are persuaded to receive funds into their Paypal account and forward them on to another bank account, which belongs to the scammer. A chargeback is then initiated through PayPal, leaving the friend out of pocket. Action Fraud says that it has received several reports of these crimes, which are hard to trace and involve a complete takeover of someones Facebook account by unknown means. PayPal says users can get protection against chargeback through its Seller Protection Policy, but otherwise the decisions about disputed chargebacks rest with the credit card company.