At least six well-known UK studios are known to be involved. A prominent education establishment is also believed to be implicated. The operation began earlier this year as teams of investigators posing as potential clients visited facilities in the UK and US to gather evidence, secretly filming studio owners and engineers demonstrating or discussing ‘cracked’ copies of Waves plug-ins. Employing undercover agents, the company has obtained video evidence and is now threatening court action to back up its claims for payments plus damages.