The US authorities have arrested and
charged eight people for trading copyright films, music, games and software over
the internet. The justice department said that all eight had been members of
online piracy networks and were charged following police investigations in 15
other countries around the world.
Acting assistant attorney
general Jon Richter said that these operations by the Justice
department were to protect copyright owners from online thieves who steal
and then sell products they worked so hard to produce.
The eight people charged
with piracy were charged in Charlotte and
North Carolina
after the FBI investigations dubbed Operation Fastlink and Operation Site Down.
The operation involved 15 countries from the UK, Hungary, and Spain to Australia, Canada and Sweden.
The Justice department alleges that all eight defendants were a leading part of
the warez scene. The charged would copy a game or film when it was released and
then uploaded to servers around the world where it found its way on to P2P
networks.
Special Agent in charge
Robbert cliffard said that those committing cyber crimes can easily be
identified anywhere in the world.
 The US
authorities have charged eight people in connection with the illegal
trading of copyrighted films, music, games and software over the net.
The Justice Department said they were key members of
online piracy networks. They were charged following an
international police operation across 15 countries. Acting Assistant Attorney General John C Richter said the "charges
strike at the top of the copyright piracy supply chain". "Cases like these are part of the Justice Department's coordinated
strategy to protect copyright owners from the online thieves who steal and
then sell the products they work so hard to produce."
The eight men were charged
with copyright infringement in Charlotte, North Carolina, following two
FBI investigations known as Operation FastLink and Operation Site Down.
The US-led investigation involved 15 countries -
Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel,
Singapore, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, Portugal, the UK and the US.
The Justice Department alleged the defendants were
leading members in the illegal online trade of copyrighted material known
as the "warez scene". It said that once a film or game
is copied, the pirated material is sent to servers throughout the world in
minutes and then makes its way to file-sharing networks. "This FBI Charlotte undercover operation was very successful in
identifying and collecting evidence against those individuals who were the
primary source of pirated digital material around the globe," said Acting
Special Agent-in-Charge Robert Clifford. "Those
committing the cyber crimes can be identified and located anywhere in the
world," he said. |
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Source: BBC NEWS
