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Wednesday, 11 March 2009 18:48 |
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Raid Seizes Thousands of Illegal Computer and Video Games
March 11, 2009 – WASHINGTON, DC – The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) today applauded Mexico’s Metropolitan Delegation in Camarones of the Procuraduría General de la República (PGR) and the Federal Preventative Police for their recent raid in the Tepito area of Mexico City. The action resulted in the seizure of over 60,000 pirated computer and video games, 252 CD/DVD burners, and 98,000 pieces of packaging material used for pirated game software.
“Piracy hurts artists and entrepreneurs, paralyzes the development of a local game industry, and stymies our industry’s contributions to economies,” said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of the ESA, the trade association representing U.S. computer and video game publishers. “We commend law enforcement officials for their actions in this raid and are fully committed to supporting authorities in Mexico and around the world in their efforts to combat entertainment software piracy.”
The Tepito action comes weeks after local law enforcement raided 37 apartments and dismantled pirating workshops, warehouses, and six pirate game software labs containing over 784 CD/DVD burners. Authorities also seized nearly 33,000 pirated games and over 1 million pieces of packaging material used to manufacture pirated games.
Tepito is one of the most popular shopping areas in Mexico City and is a local center of black market activity, including the manufacture and sale of pirated computer and video games. These two raids together represent the entertainment software industry’s largest strike against a pirate burning lab syndicate in Mexico City.
The Entertainment Software Association is the U.S. association dedicated to serving the business and public affairs needs of companies publishing interactive games for video game consoles, handheld devices, personal computers, and the Internet. The ESA offers services to interactive entertainment software publishers including a global anti-piracy program, owning the E3 Expo, business and consumer research, federal and state government relations, First Amendment and intellectual property protection efforts. For more information, please visit www.theESA.com. |
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Wednesday, 11 March 2009 00:00 |
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Nora R. Dannehy, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that WILLIAM PARROTT, also known as "niterangr," 39, of Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, pleaded guilty today before Senior United States District Judge Ellen Bree Burns in New Haven to one count of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement.
According to documents filed with the Court and statements made in court, PARROTT and others participated in the "warez scene," which is an underground online community consisting of individuals and organized groups who use the Internet to engage in the large-scale, illegal distribution of copyrighted software. In the warez scene, certain participants (known as "suppliers") are able to obtain access to copyrighted software, video games, DVD movies, and MP3 music files, often before those titles are even available to the general public. Other participants, known as "crackers," then use their technical skills to circumvent or "crack" the digital copyright protections. Others, known as "couriers," then distribute the pirated software to various file storage sites ("FTP sites") on the Internet for others to access, reproduce, and further distribute. The leading warez groups competed with one another to attain the reputation as the fastest, highest quality providers of pirated materials.
In approximately 2001, PARROTT, with the assistance of a co-conspirator, began operating a warez server known as "Nite Ranger Hideout" (NRH). From approximately November 2002 through April 2003, PARROTT uploaded approximately 1477 files and downloaded approximately 13,109 files from the NRH site.
Judge Burns has scheduled sentencing for May 29, 2009, at which time PARROTT faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years and a fine of up to $250,000.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Edward Chang of the District of Connecticut and Clement J. McGovern from the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section of the Department of Justice
To view court documents on the case please visit our Warez Bust Database on the right hand side of the website.
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Monday, 09 March 2009 00:00 |
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Not many 65TB sites , your first guess should be right. Here is the info from MSNBC:
STOCKHOLM - Police have made a major crackdown on illegal file-sharing by seizing a giant computer server during an apartment raid in a Stockholm suburb, an official said Saturday.
Henrik Ponten, a spokesman at the Swedish Anti-Piracy Bureau, said the server contained about 65 terabytes of files, corresponding to around 16,000 full-length movies.
"The size of the works are gigantic," he said, noting it was one of the biggest pirate server confiscations ever in Sweden.
To read the article on MSNBC, click here
"Basically he admitted he was in charge of it (the server)," he said.
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Sunday, 08 March 2009 23:53 |
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The RAND corporation has released an interesting report outlining the connection between Piracy and Terrorists. From the press release:
The RAND report outlines three cases where film piracy has helped support terrorist groups:
- Historically the best documented case involves the Irish Republican Army that used many criminal activities, including film piracy, to support its efforts to drive the British from Northern Ireland. A political agreement in 1998 ended its violent acts, but at least parts of the IRA continue to operate as a criminal enterprise that remains involved in counterfeiting activities.
- The D-Company is an organized crime group active for generations in India. Since the 1980s, it has been the major syndicate involved with film piracy in India. The group was transformed into a terrorist organization when it carried out the "Black Friday" bombings in Mumbai in 1993 that killed more than 257 people and injured hundreds more. It continues to advance a political agenda with its actions funded at least partly by the proceeds of crime.
- Another case involves the tri-border area of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay that has emerged as the most important financing center for Islamic terrorism outside of the Middle East, channeling $20 million annually to Hezbollah. At least one transfer of $3.5 million was made to Hezbollah by known DVD pirate Assad Ahmad Barakat, who received a thank-you note from the Hezbollah leader. Barakat was labeled a "specially designated global terrorist" by the U.S. government in 2004.
You can download the report by clicking here |
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Friday, 06 March 2009 00:00 |
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WASHINGTON – The 60th felony conviction from Operation Fastlink, a major Department
of Justice initiative to combat online piracy worldwide, was announced today by Acting Assistant
Attorney General of the Criminal Division Rita M. Glavin and Acting U.S. Attorney Nora R.
Dannehy of the District of Connecticut.
Bryan Thomas Black, 30, of Waterloo, Ill., pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to
commit criminal infringement of a copyright for his involvement in a multinational software piracy
organization that was targeted by investigators as part of “Operation Fastlink”, an internationally
coordinated 18-month investigation. Black will be sentenced by the Honorable Ellen Bree Burns on
May 26, 2009, at which time he faces up to five years of in prison, a fine of $250,000 and three years
of supervised release.
In pleading guilty today, Black admitted that, for nearly four years, he was a participant in the
“warez scene,” an underground online community made up of individuals and organized groups who
engage in the large scale reproduction, modification and distribution of copyrighted software through
the Internet. In the warez scene, Black served as the person who would obtain new video game
releases and circumvent the digital copyright protections so that the software could then be
reproduced and distributed on the Internet. Black also admitted that during the course of the
conspiracy, he downloaded thousands of pirated copies of copyrighted works from various Web sites,
known as warez sites, knowing that his and his co-conspirators’ actions were unlawful.
Operation Fastlink has resulted in more than 120 search warrants executed in 12 countries; the
confiscation of hundreds of computers and illegal online distribution hubs; and the removal of more
than $50 million worth of illegally copied software, games, movies and music from illicit distribution
channels. Operation Fastlink is the culmination of multiple FBI undercover investigations targeting
individuals involved in the illegal reproduction and distribution of movies, games, business software
and music.
Operation Fastlink was conducted by the FBI, including the New Haven Field Office in
coordination with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut and the Criminal
Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS). This case was prosecuted by
Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Chang and Senior Counsel Clement McGovern of CCIPS.
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Wednesday, 11 February 2009 20:30 |
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Nora R. Dannehy, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that RICHARD MENDEZ, also known as "Metalslug," 25, of Hoboken, New Jersey, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Mark R. Kravitz in New Haven to three years of probation for conspiring to commit criminal copyright infringement. Judge Kravitz also ordered MENDEZ to perform 200 hours of community service. This matter stems from a multinational software piracy investigation known as "Operation Higher Education."
On October 24, 2008, MENDEZ pleaded guilty and admitted that, for nearly four years, he was a participant in the "warez scene," an underground online community consisting of individuals and organized groups who engage in the large scale reproduction, modification and distribution of copyrighted software over the internet. In the warez scene, certain participants (known as "suppliers") are able to obtain access to copyrighted software, video games, DVD movies, and MP3 music files, often before those titles are even available to the general public. Other participants, known as "crackers," then use their technical skills to circumvent or "crack" the digital copyright protections. Others, known as "couriers," then distribute the pirated software to various file storage sites ("FTP sites") on the internet for others to access, reproduce, and further distribute. The leading warez groups competed with one another to attain the reputation as the fastest, highest quality providers of pirated materials.
Specifically, MENDEZ was a well-known "supplier" of approximately 100 titles of copyrighted works that subsequently were cracked and uploaded to various FTP servers that distributed pirated software and media in affiliation with several leading warez groups, including "Fairlight." MENDEZ also had privileged access to, and downloaded many pirated works from, various warez sites.
"Operation Higher Education" is the largest component of the global law enforcement action known as "Operation Fastlink," announced by the Department of Justice on April 22, 2004. Twelve nations participated in "Operation Higher Education." The investigation yielded searches and seizures of more 70 high-level targets that were conducted in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, the Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, the United States, as well as Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
"Operation Higher Education" was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's New Haven office in coordination with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut and the Department of Justice's Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section ("CCIPS"). This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Edward Chang. |
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