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FBIFBI Visits Blog Owner Who Leaked Guns 'N Roses TracksAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on June 25, 2008 - 7:16am.
Web TV Net Revision3 Hit by Anti-Piracy Firm MediaDefenderAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on May 30, 2008 - 10:03am.
tags: Video | Law | P2P | Copyright | BitTorrent | FBI | MediaDefender | Revision3 | Jim Louderback |
FBI Looking at Online Casinos in "Second Life" Virtual WorldAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on April 4, 2007 - 11:01am.
New York - The FBI has visited casinos within the virtual world "Second Life," but authorities have not yet clarified whether the online gambling for virtual currency runs afoul of the U.S. ban on Internet gambling, Reuters reported. FBI Shuts Down Illegal Servers for NCsoft's Online Game "Lineage II"Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 20, 2006 - 5:53pm.
Austin, Texas - Following multiple raids in cities from California to Virginia, the FBI has shut down an illegal online game server operation for Korean developer NCsoft's "Lineage II" massively multiplayer online game.
FBI Raids Two Movie Piracy Rings in New York CityAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on June 28, 2006 - 8:29pm.
New York - The FBI raided the operations of two alleged international movie piracy operations in the New York City area on Wednesday, that were responsible for "millions of dollars" in lost Hollywood profits, a federal law enforcement official told the Associated Press.
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.
FBI Arrests Four Chinese Nationals Over Counterfeit Nintendo GamesAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on April 15, 2005 - 9:17am.
New York -- Nintendo of America this week applauded the FBI for its arrest of four Chinese nationals who were allegedly distributing pirated Nintendo video games. An FBI investigation revealed the defendants had imported at least 280,000 "Power Player" counterfeit game systems, capable of playing pirated versions of Nintendo titles like "Mario Bros." and "Duck Hunt." The investigation led to the four arrests, and searches of facilities in New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia. "Nintendo applauds the actions taken by the FBI. U.S. law enforcement authorities have played an instrumental role in attacking piracy in the U.S. and abroad," said Jodi Daugherty, Nintendo of America's director of anti-piracy. Nintendo said that during the first quarter of 2005, more than 80 worldwide seizures have been conducted that resulted in confiscation of nearly 180,000 counterfeit Nintendo products.
FBI Investigating Internet Leaks of Academy Award "Screener" DVDsAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 10, 2005 - 2:47am.
Los Angeles -- The FBI is investigating the appearance of several "screener" copies of Academy Award-nominated films -- including all five up for Best Picture -- on Internet file-sharing systems, the Los Angeles Times reported on Thursday. Screener DVDs are sent to voting members of the Academy so they may view all of the films up for awards. Last year, in a highly publicized case one member was tossed from the Academy and ordered to pay $600,000 in damages to several studios after being identified as the recipient of several screeners leaked online. The FBI told the Times it is looking into the leaking of Warner Bros.' "Million Dollar Baby" and Sony Pictures' "Spanglish" and "Closer." "We take this criminal activity very seriously," Louis J. Caprino Jr., acting special agent in charge of the criminal division of the Los Angeles FBI office, told the Times. The number of pirated screeners is up dramatically from last year, a fact some blamed on the studios' lack of a unified anti-piracy solution. Last year, all DVD screeners featured digital watermarks that could trace a leak back to their recipient, and were accompanied by a pledge that recipients were required to sign saying they wouldn't share their copies with anyone.
FBI Arrests Suspects in "Half-Life 2" Source Code TheftAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on June 15, 2004 - 10:19am.
Bellevue, Wash. -- Video game developer Valve Software announced that the FBI has made several arrests in its investigation into the theft of source code from Valve's anticipated "Half-Life 2" PC game last fall. Although it is not clear when they were arrested, suspects in several countries have been apprehended in relation to the hacking of Valve's own internal servers, where the game's source code was lifted and subsequently posted on the Internet. "It was extraordinary to watch how quickly and how cleverly gamers were able to unravel what are traditionally unsolvable problems for law enforcement related to this kind of cyber crime," said Valve CEO Gabe Newell. The company, which delayed the release of the game even before the source code was stolen, has said that "Half-Life 2" will come out this summer.
FBI, DOJ, File-Sharing Networks Team to Combat P2P Child PornAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on May 17, 2004 - 1:52am.
Washington -- The U.S. Depts. of Justice and Homeland Security and the FBI have announced a new law enforcement initiative aimed at the child pornography traded on peer-to-peer file-sharing networks. "Operation Peer Pressure," which launched in the fall of 2003, has to date resulted in 350 search warrants being served and 65 arrests nationwide, on charges including possession and distribution of child pornography, as well as sexual abuse of children. "Today's announcement sends a clear message that the digital environment will not offer sanctity to those pedophiles who lurk in peer-to-peer networks, said FBI Director Robert Mueller. "[It] also raises public awareness to the inherent risks associated with file-sharing networks. Parents must know that access to these networks is free and exposure to child pornography is often a frightening reality." File-sharing networks including Kazaa said that they fully cooperated with law enforcement during the investigations.
FBI, File-Sharing Networks Team to Combat Child PornographyAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on May 7, 2004 - 2:45am.
Washington -- P2P United, a trade group representing a number of peer-to-peer file-sharing networks, on Thursday submitted a letter to Congress detailing how it is working with the FBI to create a "most wanted" list of suspected child pornography traders on their networks. In Congressional hearings, peer-to-peer networks have been vilified for offering easy access to pornography, and in some cases for trafficking adult content files mislabeled to possibly attract children. "Any time we can work with private industry to help us identify people who are using the Internet for child pornography, we are more than open to having talks with them," Keith Lordeau, a deputy assistant director in the FBI's Cyber Division, told Reuters. The program is expected to launch within two or three months.
FBI "Anti-Piracy" Label to Feature on Music, Movies, Software, GamesAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 19, 2004 - 8:19am.
Los Angeles -- The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Thursday announced a joint initiative with record labels, movie studios, software and game developers that will result in a new FBI "Anti-Piracy" warning label being placed on and within physical and digital copyrighted works. The four industries participating in the endeavor collectively claim $3 billion in losses due to copyright infringement in 2003. "It is our hope that when consumers see the new FBI warning on the music they purchase, both physically and digitally, they will take the time to learn the do's and don'ts of copying and uploading to the Internet," said Brad Buckles, director of anti-piracy at the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). "As this seal attests, these are the serious crimes with serious consequences -- including federal prosecution -- to making unauthorized copies or uploading music without permission and consumers should be aware of them." The exact design and phrasing of the FBI warning labels -- long a fixture on VHS and DVD movies -- is still under consideration by the various industries.
FBI Arrests Suspected Hollywood Movie "Screener" PirateAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on January 23, 2004 - 2:49am.
Los Angeles -- FBI agents have arrested an Illinois man they believe was responsible for posting several "screener" copies of Academy Award-nominated movies to the Internet, the Associated Press reported. Russell Sprague, 51, was scheduled in court Friday to face criminal copyright infringement charges, after a search warrant executed at his house Thursday turned up hundreds of copies of screeners, for films including "The Last Samurai" and "Shattered Glass." The FBI told AP these screeners have been traced back to Academy member and actor Carmine Caridi, who it was revealed several weeks ago was the source of the copy of "Something's Gotta Give" that was found online by Sony Pictures. Caridi, who has not been charged as of yet, told investigators he has mailed his screener movies to Sprague the past three years, believing he was simply a film buff. Caridi's attorney Richard Millard told the Los Angeles Times that Caridi, "was embarrassed to learn that his name was associated with the film that was being improperly distributed." The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) declared a ban on the distribution of screeners late last year, citing piracy concerns, but that ban was later overturned by a federal court order.
FBI Raids Programmer's House in "Half-Life 2" Code Theft InvestigationAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on January 23, 2004 - 2:45am.
San Francisco -- In efforts to find those responsible stealing and posting online part of the code making up the anticipated PC game "Half-Life 2," the FBI raided San Francisco programmer Chris Toshok's home last week, seizing computer hardware and software, the BBC reported. Bellevue, Wash.-based Valve Software, which spent five years developing the game -- arguably the most popular title previewed at last year's Electronic Entertainment Expo -- said that the source code was stolen following an incident in September where the company's own servers were hacked. Toshok, who denied any wrongdoing, told the BBC the agents questioned him about a group called the Hungry Programmers, with whom he previously shared a house.
FBI Charges 17 In Satellite TV Piracy Ring Under Digital Copyright ActAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 13, 2003 - 3:21am.
Los Angeles -- The FBI has arrested seventeen alleged satellite TV pirates and charged them with violating the criminal anti-decryption provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), only the second grand jury indictment under the statute. The defendants, who the FBI said include several "high-level computer hackers," are software and hardware developers hailing from California, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas -- who allegedly used online chat rooms to organize their pirate TV efforts. Ten of those arrested will plead guilty while the remaining seven will fight the charges, the FBI said. Each faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $500,000 for their alleged DMCA violations. "This case demonstrates our commitment to identifying and prosecuting sophisticated computer hackers who steal the intellectual property of others for their own economic benefit," said United States Attorney Debra W. Yang. http://www.fbi.gov/fieldnews/february/la021103.htm
FBI, Secret Service Probe Hacker Attacks on RIAA WebsiteAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on January 29, 2003 - 4:39am.
Washington -- An FBI spokesman confirmed for Reuters that the FBI and Secret Service have launched a probe into a hack of the Recording Industry of America (RIAA) website, which has been off-line since Friday. A shell of the site's homepage -- which contained no active links -- was all that was available from RIAA.org on Wednesday afternoon. The site has been a favored target for hackers, partly due to the RIAA's steadfast efforts to shut down popular peer-to-peer file-sharing services. "How pathetic that those who want free music don't believe in free speech," RIAA spokesperson Amy Weiss told Reuters.
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