IP: Federal agents raid warez groups

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> From: "Bill Sodeman" <bill () sodeman com>
> To: <farber () cis upenn edu>
>
>
> http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/11/technology/11CND-PIRACY.html?pagewante
> d=print
>
> December 11, 2001
> In 27 Cities, U.S. Carries Out Raids in Software Piracy Case
> By DAVID STOUT
>
> WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 - Federal agents carried out dozens of raids today
> against a far-flung network suspected of pirating billions of dollars
> worth of computer software - ranging from operating systems to the
> latest music videos and movies - over the Internet.
>
> Agents seized computers and hard drives in at least 27 cities in 21
> states in raids on businesses, university computer centers, Internet
> service providers and many residences. Foreign law enforcement people
> staged about 20 similar raids in Australia, Britain, Finland and Norway.
>
> Treasury and Commerce department officials said more raids will be
> conducted in the weeks ahead. No arrests were made in the United States,
> partly because today's operations were aimed at gathering evidence. Some
> of the people implicated, aware that they could face charges of
> conspiracy or theft of intellectual property, are already cooperating
> with the authorities, department officials said.
>
> The operation that culminated in today's raids, after a 15-month
> inquiry, is part of "the largest and most extensive investigation of its
> kind," Customs Commissioner Robert C. Bonner said.
>
> <snip>
>
> Officials said offenders could face up to three years in prison, upon
> conviction, and depending on their willingness to cooperate. By midday,
> the authorities said, more than 60 people in the United States had been
> identified as being involved in the pirating operation. Several suspects
> have already been charged overseas.
>
> The target of the raids was the "Warez" group, a loosely affiliated
> network of software-piracy gangs that duplicate and reproduce
> copyrighted software over the Internet. Of special interest today was a
> Warez unit known as "DrinkOrDie," probably the oldest and best known in
> the Warez network, officials said, adding that DrinkOrDie members take
> special pride in having cracked and pirated the Windows 95 operating
> system three days before its release to the public.
>
> Members of Warez includes corporate executives, computer-network
> administrators and students at major universities, government workers
> and employees of technology and computer firms, the Customs Service said
> today. The agency said the piracy ring is aided by insiders in stealing
> the software and that the ring relies on elaborate computer-security
> devices to minimize risk of detection.
>
> Raids were carried out today at the University of California at Los
> Angeles, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Purdue University,
> Duke University and the University of Oregon, officials said. They said
> the universities themselves, like the various companies raided today,
> were not involved in the wrongdoing by their employees and were
> cooperating in the inquiry.
>
> Cities where raids were staged included New York, Washington, Houston,
> Indianapolis, San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, Atlanta and
> Chicago, the government said.
>
> ==========================
>
> Bill Sodeman
> bill () sodeman com / http://bill.sodeman.com
>
> 1-512-845-0119

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