Operation Fastlink

[iooi]

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES INTERNATIONAL
INTERNET PIRACY SWEEP


‘Operation Fastlink’ Is The Largest Global Enforcement Action
Ever Undertaken Against Online Piracy




WASHINGTON, D.C. - Attorney General John Ashcroft announced today the most far-reaching and aggressive enforcement action ever undertaken against organizations involved in illegal intellectual property piracy over the Internet. Beginning yesterday morning, law enforcement from 10 countries and the United States conducted over 120 searches worldwide to dismantle some of the most well-known and prolific online piracy organizations.

“Intellectual property theft is a global problem that hurts economies around the world. To be effective, we must respond globally,” Attorney General Ashcroft said. “In the past 24 hours, working closely with our foreign law enforcement counterparts, we have moved aggressively to strike at the very core of the international online piracy world.”

Link Here so you can read the rest.....

[Moloko_Plus]

Its terrible news to hear, but its not the end of the world of piracy. These type of busts happen once in a while, everything is quiet, then go back to normal.
Theisonews is talking about this a lot. nforce.nl removed its "scene discussion" board for a while it looks like.
I hope this isnt end for FLT, but at the same time i hope they werent profitting from their releases.
The FBI can **** off. Its WONDERFUL to see that they're protecting us from these dangerous criminals, while innocent child pornography rings and palestinian and israeli extremist groups still roam free.
It looks to me like the scene is at a complete standstill..Havent been many releases lately, I guess theyre all praying they arent next.

[FOO]

I really don't know how they have time for that
while the massive killing goes on.

'Course since it's not them getting killed , I guess they don't care much

[gitreel]

The FBI still needs to explain where their missing computers went to. They need a dose of reality. I think murdering someone is far more severe than this made up ordeal with piracy(everyday users doing what they had been allowed to do by law for the last 20 years or so).can you say fair use?

[lordsmurf]

Remember this on voting day in November my friends.

Put a Democrat in the White House and ******** like Ashcroft will be nothing but bitter memories. Then law enforcement can go back to protecting the people instead of companies.

Same for morons like Powell Jr in the FCC that want to take Howard Stern off the air.

I miss the old days when presidential blow jobs was the worst thing happening to our country.

[gitreel]

now now, lordsmurf remember....he did not have sexual relations with that woman(like I care if he did or not.)

[BJ_M]

Today is a good day for creative artists," John Malcolm, chief of antipiracy operations for the Motion Picture Association and a former senior Justice Department official told the Associated Press.

"Without copyright protection and enforcement, piracy will dramatically and deleteriously impact the future of the American film industry."

making crappy movies will have LESS effect?

bah


another good one is that universal today announced it is raising its prices on all cd's because sales are up because p2p is down ..

thats some good marketing there ...

[indolikaa]

now now, lordsmurf remember....he did not have sexual relations with that woman

Y'all were spoiled by Janet 'It's Pat!' Reno and are just being brought back into the fold, Comrades. You will be properly reindoctrinated and taught the ways things should be:

1) CDs are worth far more than $19.99 per disc.
2) People who download copyrighted material also rape puppies.
3) Jack Valenti is your best friend.
4) Anybody who has a broadband connection illegally downloads material. Period.
5) Basic cable TV is worth $49.99 per month.

Zampolit Ashcroft will be contacting you individually to discuss your personal rehabilitation plan.

[FOO]

Can you imagine the highest law enforcement person in the land
rolling around on the floor spouting gibberish because the lord told
him to ? Well that's what we've got. It's extremely disturbing.

[gitreel]

Is that anything like Deion Sanders not paying the guy because god told him not to?

[gitreel]

There is also clinton's motto(When in doubt, whip it out.)

[Roundabout]

More about "Operation Fast2DaClink" from the AP:

U.S. Moves Against Online Pirates

WASHINGTON -- Undercover investigations into Internet piracy identified more than 100 people in the United States and abroad involved in the theft of more than $50 million worth of music, movies and software, U.S. authorities said Thursday.

More than 120 searches were conducted in a 24-hour period in 27 states and 10 countries in an effort to dismantle organizations known by such names as Fairlight, Kalisto, Echelon, Class, Project X and APC, officials said.

The initiative, known as Operation Fastlink, has resulted in the seizure of more than 200 computers, including 30 that served as storage and distribution hubs containing thousands of copies of pirated material. One server seized in the United States contained 65,000 separate pirated titles, authorities said.

No arrests were immediately announced.

"Intellectual property theft is a global problem that hurts economies around the world," Attorney General John Ashcroft said in a statement announcing the crackdown. "To be effective, we must respond globally."

Among the countries in which FBI searches have been conducted are Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, the Netherlands, Singapore, Sweden and Great Britain.

[painkiller]

More than 120 searches were conducted in a 24-hour period in 27 states and 10 countries

You know, to be that fast - I'd bet they didn't bother with subpeonas/writs, or anything remotely indicating they did everything - "by the book."

And who will tell us about that?

When these computers were outright confiscated, are there any guarantees the people will get them back - if found to be NOT part of the collective group known as pirates?

We have the exact same problem in Baltimore, or so I've heard, but with firearms - rather than computers - a mere word substitution.

Depends who got into office - and if they treat the Constitution as we do.

Guess not.

[Nelson37]

Well, I guess that since the highest official in the land lying, under oath, in a court of law, is considered OK I shouldn't be surprised that outright theft is being championed as well.

One day some of you will find you are no longer receiving a weekly paycheck because the company that writes it has been put out of business by just such property theft.

[mmasw]

Well, I guess that since the highest official in the land lying, under oath, in a court of law, is considered OK I shouldn't be surprised that outright theft is being championed as well.

I think few people thought it was "ok". As a matter of fact, that kind of assinine statement was what was wrong with the whole damn "affair". People who maintained it wasn't an impeachable offense weren't excusing the lie, they just thought the "reaction" to it , driven by right wing zealots and the media was over the top.

by the way, he never appeared in "court", it was a depostion in an office....so you've bollixed up your facts.

One day some of you will find you are no longer receiving a weekly paycheck because the company that writes it has been put out of business by just such property theft.

well that's a crock of shit.....can you please list the companies that have been "put out of business by property theft"?

People are much more likely to not receive a check because of outsourcing.

The idea that in a nation that has a "war on terror" and a war in Iraq and thousands of homocides a year, we can have major task forces of law enforcement personel pursuing Warez and Porn says all that needs to be said about our dumbass "justice" department and ayatollah ashcroft.

As a nation, to have spent so much time and resource investigating Whitewater and Monica's blue dress was folly. So is the pursuit of warez.

[Moloko_Plus]

Personally I dont know what to think of these busts. I think the FBI's statement is part scare-tactic to hype it up worse then it really is, and heres why:
1. CLASS retired from the scene a few months back. They had grown up..some of the members got into a different group i think, i dont know the details but they did officially retire.
2. 200 computer seized, no arrests? Makes sense, dont it?
3. You know how these government groups just like to hype it all up, that needs no explanation.
4. We dont even know for a fact who was Selling anything, (at least I havent read much who has) FBI and cybercrime havent said anyone was. Come on, PC and one x-box gaming groups? Theres gotta be something missing from this puzzle. These guys arent highly visible for obvious reasons. All those busts around the world at once?? Come on..Im having doubts about a LOT of this and see every truth as 80% fictatious. Until I see some proof, im taking this all with a grain of salt. Especially Fairlight..FLT has been around since the 80s on the C64 scene, they even have a damn website with everything..

Some groups have offered sympathy, others are laughing.