VZCZCXRO2311
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHCL #0062/01 0941358
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 031358Z APR 08
FM AMCONSUL CASABLANCA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8023
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0363
RUEHNK/AMEMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT 2338
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0645
RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT 8273

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CASABLANCA 000062 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/MAG AND NEA/PI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON EFIN KDEM MO
SUBJECT: ANTI-PIRACY EFFORTS IN CASABLANCA DO NOT DETER 
VENDORS 
 
REF: 06 CASABLANCA 883 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Following a series of seizures of pirated 
CDs and DVDs, Moroccan authorities destroyed some 80,000 
discs on March 27 in Casablanca.  Undeterred, illegal CD and 
DVD vendors remain in business, buoyed by strong demand and 
the knowledge that periodic raids are annoying, but not 
ruinous.  Despite limited effectiveness, Moroccan authorities 
plan to continue seizures.  For their part, local artists are 
considering new ways to package and distribute their work to 
circumvent pirates and retain profits.  While the government 
has taken steps to curb piracy, more needs to be done to 
enforce laws, disable pirating networks and raise public 
awareness about IP and copyright laws.  End Summary. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
CD/DVD DESTRUCTION DOES NOT DETER VENDORS 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) Moroccan authorities, in concert with the Moroccan 
Copyright Office (BMDA) and the Moroccan Cinematic Center 
(CCM), destroyed about 80,000 pirated CDs and DVDs on March 
27 in Casablanca.  The destruction followed a series of 
seizures around the city that included music CDs, software, 
and foreign and Moroccan films from markets around 
Casablanca. 
 
¶3. (U) The seizure and destruction of thousands of pirated 
CDs and DVDs has not deterred vendors from selling pirated 
goods.  First, seizures are not a new phenomenon.  In 
Casablanca,s renowned Derb Ghallef, a black market maze of 
over 1000 shops selling everything from iPods to designer 
clothing to furniture, a CD and DVD vendor named Rachid 
estimated that there had been five raids in the past year.  A 
vendor named Youssef thought there had been three.  Whatever 
the number, both viewed periodic seizures as part of doing 
business.  With a smile and a shrug, Rachid told econoff that 
authorities had confiscated his entire stock in mid-March, 
along with the television and DVD player he used to demo his 
goods.  In less than a week, however, his shop was up and 
running again, the shelves full of music and movies and a new 
TV in place.  Youssef had fared better, losing only 1000 of 
his DVDs.  Knowing the risk of raids, he never displays all 
his stock.  "Raids have been happening since we sold VHS 
tapes," he said, indicating that they are more a nuisance 
than a threat. 
 
¶4. (U) The strong demand for pirated material also keeps 
vendors in business.  With no stores selling legitimate CDs 
and DVDs, consumers rely on local vendors to supply pirated 
versions.  Furthermore, the price of counterfeit CDs and DVDs 
has fallen dramatically in the past five years, from 20 MAD 
to 10, making them affordable to a large swath of people. 
Given the lack of legitimate CDs and DVDs and the plethora of 
cheap pirated versions, consumers from every social stratum 
buy them ) either in Derb Ghallef, which attracts a diverse 
clientele, or at other locales around Casablanca, including 
shops in the upscale Maarif neighborhood or in plain sight on 
the sidewalks in front of big-name stores such as Zara.  In 
the face of prevalent supply and high demand, few seem to 
consider or care that their actions are illegal and infringe 
on intellectual property rights. 
 
---------------------------------- 
IF SEIZURES DON,T WORK, WHAT WILL? 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (U) Despite the fact that vendors of pirated CDs and DVDs 
seem to view seizures as merely a job hazard, Moroccan 
authorities plan to continue such operations.  Abderrahim 
Bouamri, CCM,s chief of control, declared that the recent 
round of seizures and destruction "will be generalized to all 
Moroccan cities."  BMDA,s Director, Abdallah Ouadrhiri, 
commented that the operation was part of a global strategy to 
save cultural creativity and honor Morocco,s commitment to 
copyright protection.  According to statistics reported in 
daily French-language newspaper L,Economiste, authorities 
seized 0.9 million discs in 2005, 1.6 million in 2006 and 2.7 
million in 2007, indicating that anti-piracy efforts have 
increased, at least when it comes to destroying pirated 
goods. 
Given that an estimated 36 million CDs and DVDs enter the 
informal market each year, however, the destruction of a few 
million is just a drop in the bucket. 
 
 
CASABLANCA 00000062  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶6. (U) Given the enormity of the piracy problem, artists are 
creating their own ways to protect their work.  The 
Casablancan singer "Barry," for example, distributed his 2006 
album Sleeping System in an issue of the weekly magazine 
Telquel.  Casablanca-based music group Darga released its 
recent album Stop Baraka in two versions: premium for 40 MAD 
and economic for 13 DH.  The packaging between the two 
differs, but the content is the same and both bear the BMDA 
mark.  In addition, the album cover is printed on all CDs to 
distinguish them from pirated copies.  The group also is 
taking a new approach to distribution, selling premium CDs at 
restaurants, bars, cafes and bookstores in five cities around 
Morocco.  The hope is that initiatives such as these will 
curb the loss of profits to artists and combat pirating by 
cutting pirates out of the loop. 
 
¶7. (U) The fact that artists feel compelled to take such 
measures suggests that the government could do more to stop 
piracy at its source.  Film distributor Najib Benkirane told 
French-language newspaper La Nouvelle Tribune that "Morocco 
is one of the most protected countries against piracy.  We 
just have to apply the law."  Similarly, Morocco,s 
Association for the Fight Against Piracy has noted that 
recent laws have expanded anti-piracy measures, and that the 
Minister of Interior has pledged to create an anti-piracy 
division.  Increased government involvement and enforcement 
of the law would help nip Morocco,s piracy problem in the 
bud. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Comment: While the government has made efforts to 
curb piracy from a Casablanca perspective, including 
beefed-up laws, seizures, arrests and awareness campaigns, 
more needs to be done.  In addition to disabling pirates and 
their networks and creating alternative job opportunities, 
authorities must also redouble their efforts to educate the 
public about the importance of respecting intellectual 
property and copyright laws.  End Comment. 
GREENE