WOBURN - After the store's manager said a record would be kept of all used digital video discs that are bought, the City Council at its recent meeting voted unanimously to grant a license to sell second hand articles to GameStop on Commerce Way.

GameStop has a buy/sell/trade component by which customers can sell their old DVDs or video games for cash or credit. Every time the cash option is chosen, an employee must log the name and other information of the seller into a book, according to store manager Joseph Carter.

The idea is to prevent someone who steals DVDs from another store from selling them to GameStop.

"For anyone who trades for cash, a valid ID is required," said Carter.

All cash transactions, which are limited to one per day, per person, are kept in a log book, which is periodically examined by personnel from the company's central office.

"If they see a trend with someone, we're told not to do any more business with them," said Carter.

GameStop does not take DVDs that are not in their original cases, which was a concern of Alderman at-large Joanna Gonsalves, who wondered about pirated copies of movies and the like.

Counterfeit games are not as much of a concern because they are "very tough to copy," according to Carter.

Carter said the log book is available to police but according to Carter can be accessed only via a warrant.

"I can give them the name, but there is other personal information in there," said Carter.

Ward 6 Alderman John Ciriello questioned the wisdom of releasing the name only, saying it would be a lot easier for store officials to notify police about suspicious customers.

"It won't do any good if the police department doesn't know about it," said Ciriello.

According to Section 5-17 of the city's municipal code, "every person dealing in (second hand articles ... shall keep a book in which he shall record, at the time of every purchase of any such article, a description thereof, with the name age, and residence of the party from whom, and the day and hour when such purchase was made.

"The book shall at all times be open to the inspection of the mayor and aldermen, and of any person by them authorized to make such an inspection."

The Commerce Way store was opened only recently. Council members had no issues with the store's hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.