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FBI, Customs Agents Shut Down BitTorrent Server Offering "Star Wars"

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 25, 2005 - 6:32am.
Washington -- U.S. authorities announced on Wednesday that they have shut down a BitTorrent file-sharing server that was offering copies of "Revenge of the Sith" and other copyrighted movies and software for download. The FBI and U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) executed ten warrants in eight states and seized the main server for Elite Torrents, a network with 133,000 members that offered 17,800 movie, music and software titles, which were collectively downloaded 2.1 million times. A message on the site today reads: "This site has been permanently shut down by the Federal Bureau of investigation and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement." The latest "Star Wars" film was available on Elite Torrents six hours before it debuted in theaters, and had been downloaded more than 10,000 times, authorities said. "Through today's landmark enforcement actions, ICE and the FBI have shut down a group of online criminals who were using legitimate technology to create one-stop shopping for the illegal sharing of movies, games, software and music," said Michael J. Garcia, Homeland Security assistant secretary for ICE.
tags: Shut Down | Star Wars | FBI | Customs Agents |