The UK's trade and industry minister, Malcolm Wicks, has told the Intellectual Property Crime Group in London that from April 6, Trading Standards officers will get more powers and £5 million (approx $9.8 million) in funding in their fight against video game piracy.

　　The new powers bring into force Section 107a of the Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988, which gives enforcement officers the power to make test purchases and to enter premises and seize goods and documents. The strategy will combine coordinated actions from customs, benefit fraud teams, the police, Trading Standards, and industry investigators.

　　UK trade body the Entertainment & Leisure Software Publishers Association also backed the move, saying that the new powers given to Trading Standards officers, along with the extra £5 million, is a "clear sign" that the DTI realises that more help is needed. ELSPA's director general, Paul Jackson, commented, "The fight against IP theft remains a massive problem for not only the games business but film, music, and branded goods."

　　Malcolm Wicks added that the message was being clearly sent that the UK was not a safe place for those committing IP theft. He commented, "From April 6, there'll be an additional 4,500 pairs of Trading Standards eyes watching counterfeiters and pirates. This will mean more surprise raids at markets and car boot sales, more intelligence, more prosecutions and more criminals locked up."