US Department of Justice cracks down on Warez sites

By Steve Malone

Posted on 23 Apr 2004 at 11:37

Led by the US Department of Justice, law enforcement agencies worldwide have swooped on the organised groups behind so-called 'warez' sites offering copyrighted material of everything from music, to movies to software. Raids occurred in 11 countries worldwide, including the United Kingdom. In the US alone 120 searches took place in 27 different states.

'We have moved aggressively to strike at the very core of the international online piracy world,' US Attorney General John Ashcroft said.

Investigators taking part in 'Operation Fastlink' have impounded more than 200 computers, including 30 computer servers that operated as the hub. One such storage and distribution system found in the US allegedly contained 65,000 pirated titles worth an estimated $50 million.

The announcement made by the DoJ said that the aim of the operation was to break up international piracy rings. The DoJ said that almost 100 people had been targeted although no charges have been made as yet.

The details released by the DoJ may come as a surprise to those who thought that Warez sites were low key operations mostly run by teenage hackers. According to the DoJ, a 'release group' prepares a digital product for download. It delivers the code to a set of warez servers and made available to an inner circle. Within hours the item will have leaked out to the world via peer to peer networks, IRC channels and web sites.

The DoJ says that the release groups are sophisticated organisations that control operations, manage the archives and find new members. However, the DoJ's depiction of Warez groups as highly organised criminal gangs is somewhat undermined by the admission that for many of those involved money is not the motive. For them it is the honour of being the first out with a new title, often before it has been officially released. John Ashcroft admitted that many warez servers were in schools but said 'I don't think the schools should be a safe haven for any type of criminal activity'.

Among the groups targeted by Fastlink are well-known organizations such as Fairlight, Kalisto, Echelon, Class and Project X, all of which specialised in pirating computer games.

The investigations were assisted by the Business Software Alliance, the Entertainment Software Association, the Motion Picture Association of America and the Recording Industry Association of America.