December 02, 2008

By By Ayala Ben-Yehuda, L.A.

Nearly a dozen Mexico City nightclubs were raided by police last month, according to IFPI, for playing music without authorization from rights holders.

Acting on tips from Mexican music licensing agency Somexfon, police and representatives of the Mexican attorney general's office carried out the raids between Nov. 7 - 21. The raids, which also utilized personnel from Mexico's anti-piracy organization APCM, targeted nightclub owners and DJs who played pirated CDs with violation notices.

"The nightclubs are expected to eventually sign agreements with Somexfon, enabling them to operate legally, as has happened in the aftermath of other recent raids in the country," according to an IFPI statement.

The Mexico City raids occurred at clubs in the areas of Xochimilco, Coyoacan and Tlahuac. Nightclubs in Guadalajara's Rinconada de la Arboleda and Minerva areas were also raided last month in similar operations.

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