UKIP Uncovered

UKIP Uncovered
What motivates the leaders of the United Kingdom Independence Party?

Thursday, May 01, 2003

Video Tape Copyright Infringement by Nigel Farage

On 4 September 2000 local trading standards officers raided UKIP’s South East branch offices in Redhill, seizing four illegal video copies of a BBC TV documentary "The Enemy Within" about Nigel Farage, UKIP MEP for the South East Region, which were in breach of copyright.

Britain in Europe Account

Mosaic Productions reprint of an article by Peter Shore in the Daily Telegraph
1st June 2000, sets the background as to why Nigel Farage might have felt dismayed at the non-appearance of the BBC episode of ‘Desperately Seeking Eutopia’ with his contribution.

Peter Shore Article

Mosaic Films followed this report a few days later with another, this time concluded as follows:-

Article by Christopher Booker
The Sunday Telegraph, June 4 2000

All content © Mosaic Films

An early indication that Mosaic Films took their copyright property rights very seriously!

Christopher Booker Article

On the 16th August 2000 the following item appeared in the London Evening Standard:-

“Some bad news for Nigel Farage, Euro MP for the UK Independence Party, who is the subject of a forthcoming BBC documentary due for broadcasting next month on the sparsely viewed BBC Knowledge channel.
The Beeb is furious to discover a video of the programme given to Farage by the makers is being copied and sold through the Party’s “Sovereignty” newsletter, with UKIP doing a roaring trade at five pounds a piece. The programme which includes footage of Farage’s assistant Dr Richard North describing our Spanish neighbours as: “Rag-arsed dagos,” is described by UKIP as: “A perfect tool for converting the sceptical, and perfect for showing at branch meetings.”
Not for long. The Beeb is already flexing its legal muscles. “This is a breach of copyright which won’t be tolerated,” a spokesman tells me.”

Jeffrey Titford had written a long letter of many complaints to the BBC on the 7th August 2000, ie a few days before this item appeared in the Standard, among which was the question as to why invitations to Farage to appear on Question Time had been withdrawn. The breach of copyright could, perhaps have been a contributory factor!

Jeffrey Titford's Complaint to the BBC

What was the background to Farage’s actions, did he innocently flirt with a breach of copyright, or did he recklessly risk all to have his programme reach a wider organisation? Here the internet search engines reveal little, so we have been forced to make inquiries elsewhere.

Curiously at a UKIP NEC meeting on the 24th May 2000, a motion was put forward by Nigel Farage that any NEC member who fell foul of the law should have their legal expenses paid by the party. One present recalls that failing to gather majority support the proposer then lost his temper and stormed from the meeting.

Shortly after this the then Party Secretary learned that Nigel Farage planned to copy and sell a video tape and following enquiries learned the intent was to sell the box including the free tape inside, presumably a poor attempt to circumvent the law.

On 31st July 2000, Adam Alexander of Mosaic Films had faxed Nigel Farage confirming his company had worldwide rights to Eutopia - The Enemy Within.

On 9th August 2000 this same gentleman, Joint Managing Director of Mosaic, faxed Farage again advising:-

Quote
It has been brought to my attention that the UKIP, through a reference in Sovereignty magazine, is offering for sale copies of the film we made about you for the BBC series ‘Eutopia -The Enemy Within‘.

At no time has Mosaic given you the right to sell this programme. With reference to my fax to you of 31st July 2000, Mosaic holds the distribution rights and any exploitation of the material through video sales can only be through and with the express agreement of Mosaic Films.

Any attempts by you to make copies of and or sell the programme will be a breach of copyright, and to this end I must insist you refrain from making any sales until such time as a sales agreement has been made between us. Please advise me of any sales you may have already made.

I can confirm that under the terms of the agreement Mosaic has with the BBC the video cannot be sold until after the first transmission by the BBC, which is scheduled for sometime soon after 15th September 2000.
Unquote

This fax was copied to two people within the BBC and another Mosaic employee.

It could hardly have been clearer.

A letter of apology was sent to Mosaic Films signed on behalf of Nigel Farage by Stan Oram and believed to have been sent on 15th August 2000.

On 24th August, following an advert for the video appearing in the Independence (UKIP‘s Members Newsletter), the party secretary wrote to all NEC members advising the activity was illegal and that he would not work to defend the action which was bringing the Party into disrepute and that additionally he would oppose the use of party funds being used to meet costs that might be incurred.

Extraordinarily on 24th August the party leader Jeffrey Titford wrote to the party secretary regarding his warning stating: “ The facts are that Nigel has permission to reproduce the video, this was given by Mosaic who made the programme. I have seen this letter.”

On the same day Farage sent an angry riposte to all NEC members which he had the foresight to banner headline “NOT FOR CIRCULATION” for it is difficult to reconcile its contents with the facts as they now appear.

On 25th August, Adam Alexander of Mosaic Films was again faxing Farage, this time with a clear warning that the Surrey Trading Standards Office were on the case and demanding that the pirated videos be sent to Gloucestershire to arrive by 30th August 2000.

On 30th August the other joint managing director of Mosaic films wrote to the UKIP Party Secretary with details of the correspondence between Farage and his colleague and insisted that no pirated copies be sold.

On 4th September 2000 the party received a letter from the Surrey County Council Trading Standards office confirming that on 24th August they had purchased a pirated video and that on 1st September they had visited the Redhill Southeast branch office and seized further copies and related documentation.

On 4th September 2000 a statement was put out by the party leader Jeffrey Titford, which in light of the now revealed facts, seems so extraordinary that it can only be quoted in full:-

UKIP & The Video ‘The Enemy Within’- A statement by Jeffrey Titford MEP, Leader, UK Independence Party

The BBC has spent a great deal of licence payers’ money producing a film series about the European Union. For reasons about which we can only speculate, the BBC has shown no inclination to screen on its terrestrial channels an episode that featured the UK Independence Party, despite the fact that UKIP MEPs went to great lengths to co-operate in the film’s production.

As a result, Nigel Farage MEP took a personal initiative to obtain copies of the film with a view to selling it to UKIP members in order to raise badly needed funds for the South East region. It subsequently transpired that distribution of the film to Party members would not be possible until it has been screened on a BBC subscription channel.

More recently, a Trading Standards Officer resorted to what amounted to deception in order to obtain a copy of the video and so prove that a technical offence has been committed. As a result, the videos have been returned to their source, where they will remain pending clarification.
Nigel accepts that he acted somewhat precipitously - though with the best intention of making the film available to a wider audience. I am also satisfied that no personal gain was either intended or realised. Any further enquiries or approaches on the matter, from whatever party involved, will be referred to the UKIP South East regional office.

This unfortunate matter would never have come about if the BBC properly fulfilled its Charter obligations in regard to balanced reporting. Also, I wholly deprecate the duplicitous tactics of Trading Standards at a time when their officers are terrorising small traders with an unlawful interpretation of Weights and Measures legislation, and turning a blind eye to the sale of thousands of illegal car number plates emblazoned with the infamous EU ring of stars.

Signed Jeffrey Titford London 4 September 2000

On 8th September 2000 Mosaic Films confirmed to the UKIP Party Secretary that at no time had they given Nigel Farage either verbal or written permission to sell the tapes. That same day the Party Secretary tendered his resignation, hardly surprising in view of the events detailed above, but even less so when put against the fact that throughout this period he had also been fending off a possible prosecution by the Metropolitan Police in connection with the removal of the UKIP database, in which strangely enough Nigel Farage’s name had also been involved.

We are conscious that this parade of facts on an internet site could rob those involved of the right to reply. WE WILL POST ANY REPLIES OR REFUTATIONS ANYONE MENTIONED IN THE ABOVE POST MIGHT CARE TO MAKE. Such should be sent to ukipuncovered@hotmail.com The e-mail link that was available on this site will be restored for such purposes as soon as possible. Other comments or advice are similarly always welcomed.

posted by Martin |12:33 AM