this in today's tele
A ROGUE Rabbitohs fan is being investigated by the National Rugby League over a merchandise counterfeiting racket.
And it's not just NRL bosses and club chiefs after the so-called supporter: the fans are fuming too.
The club has identified the man, who is involved in an unofficial Rabbitohs website, as the source of bogus DVDs. Souths CEO Shane Richardson said the culprit was not a genuine supporter because he was effectively robbing the club.
"Obviously what he's doing is wrong and illegal and I hope the NRL throws the book at him," he said. "We know this guy. He's been nothing but trouble and this latest thing is bitterly disappointing. He's using this club's great name to make money for himself and it's a disgrace."
The NRL confirmed it was investigating allegations that official telecasts were recorded and mass produced for sale on internet auction sites, complete with the official league and club logos.
NRL marketing head Paul Kind said any clear breach of intellectual property would be prosecuted.
"We've been informed someone is taping the games off Nine and Fox, converting them to DVD and reselling them," he said.
Mr Kind said the NRL had been running a program for over three years to identify and investigate illegal products and had already had some success in stopping the pirating of official merchandise.
He said the NRL retained an investigations agency to help protect the code's $130 million merchandising business and said Souths management had every right to be furious as it reduced their share of the royalties.
"We're certainly taking this case very seriously and in the past we've been prepared to track down markets and online stores to find unauthorised products," he said.
" We have a duty of care to clubs to (stop counterfeiters)."
Angry supporters blogging on other league sites have already named the suspect. Those wanting the man exposed have published the bank details he released to enable payment for the unofficial DVDs. Those account numbers have been passed on to the NRL.
The man has also been accused of using his own video camera to record rugby league games for mass production and sale.
The NRL said it was a case of "buyer beware" when verifying authenticity of merchandise.
"Most of our problems in the past have involved jumpers, caps and other apparel so it's always a good idea to check the logos and licensing codes on the price tags to make sure you're getting the real deal," Mr Kind added.
