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Articles: Global police raids target web pirates

Posted by admin on Friday, April 23, 2004 - 06:16 AM

POLICE in the United States and ten other countries have seized 200 computers in raids against organised online piracy of films, music, games and software.
Some 30 servers used for storage and distribution were seized, with one said to have contained 65,000 titles. US Attorney General John Ashcroft said it was "the most far-reaching and aggressive enforcement action ever" against internet piracy. News of the raid was welcomed by the entertainment and software industries which have been pushing for law enforcement agencies to take a tough stance against internet piracy. They say that without copyright protection and enforcement, the artists and distributors behind the work could lose hundreds of millions of dollars. "Today is a good day for creative artists," John Malcolm, chief of antipiracy operations for the Motion Picture Association and a former senior US Justice Department official said. "Without copyright protection and enforcement, piracy will dramatically impact on the future of the American film industry." Operation Fastlink, as the investigation is known, targeted senior members of international piracy organisations that distribute films, music and games, often before they are released to the public. "Intellectual property theft is a global problem that hurts economies around the world," said Mr Ashcroft. "To be effective, we must respond globally." The US Federal Bureau of Investigation and agents from other countries carried out 120 synchronised searches in 27 US states and ten countries starting on Wednesday, Mr Ashcroft said. The raids were carried out in the UK, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, the Netherlands, Singapore and Sweden. Although no arrests were announced, Mr Ashcroft said some charges would be brought. Three Singaporean men - a college student, an army serviceman, and an unemployed man - are alleged to be part of an international gang called "Fairlight". Singapore police, acting on a tip from the FBI, conducted raids on Wednesday.

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