Honeywell caught in illegal music filesharing investigation

Wembley engineering firm Honeywell is being investigated by the police following allegations of a major illegal music filesharing network at a British office.

Strathclyde Police, together with the UK record labels’ trade association the BPI, served a warrant on the company’s Motherwell premises last Thursday morning.

Thousands of music files are thought to have been shared illegally on the company’s servers.

The sting follows a two-month investigation into alleged music filesharing at Honeywell, which began after an employee of the company provided the BPI with evidence. A number of workers are reported to be assisting the police with their enquiries.

The company’s computers are being imaged for forensic investigations.

This is the first British investigation into suspected musical piracy in the workplace. The BPI said conviction for piracy offences opens company directors up to unlimited fines and up to 10 years imprisonment if convicted on indictment.

A Honeywell spokesman said: “Honeywell considers copyright infringement a very serious matter and has rigorous policies intended to prevent activity taking place on its premises.

“Similar to the recording industry, Honeywell vigorously protects its vast portfolio of intellectual property from others attempting to capitalise on their value and the strength of the Honeywell brand. We will continue to fully cooperate with investigators and the BPI.”