#643: 12-11-01 Federal Law Enforcement Targets International Internet Piracy Syndicates
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This is a full reprint of The US Department of Justice article published
at this URL:
http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2001/December/01_crm_643.htm
It is now being memorialized on Google, in the event the above URL becomes
inactive at some future date.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CRM
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2001 (202) 514-2007
WWW.USDOJ.GOV TDD (202) 514-1888
FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT TARGETS INTERNATIONAL INTERNET PIRACY SYNDICATES
Multiple Enforcement Actions Worldwide Snare Top "Warez" Leadership
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Attorney General John Ashcroft announced today that in
three separate federal law enforcement actions federal agents executed
approximately 100 search warrants worldwide against virtually every level
of criminal organizations engaged in illegal software piracy over the
Internet. The three Operations, codenamed "Buccaneer," "Bandwidth" and
"Digital Piratez," struck at all aspects of the illegal software, game and
movie trade, often referred to as "warez scene."
"Today U.S. law enforcement initiated the most aggressive enforcement
action to date against illegal software piracy," Attorney General Ashcroft
said. "Many of these individuals and groups believed the digital age and
the Internet allowed them to operate without fear of detection or criminal
sanction. Today, law enforcement in the U.S. and around the world proved
them wrong. These actions mark a significant milestone in the efforts of
U.S. law enforcement to work internationally to combat what is truly a
global problem," said Ashcroft.
"The execution of these search warrants mark the completion of the most
extensive software piracy undercover investigation that the FBI has
participated in to date, and should send the message that trafficking in
stolen goods -- whether the property is in physical or electronic form --
is a serious crime, and will be prosecuted," said Robert S. Mueller,
Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The targets of these Operations included both individuals and
organizations, known as "WAREZ" groups, that operate within the United
States and in various nations around the world and specialize in the
illegal distribution over the Internet of copyrighted software programs,
computer games and movies. The investigations will continue to identify
and pursue additional targets in the months ahead.
Operation Buccaneer
Operation Buccaneer was the culmination of an investigation that has been
ongoing for over a year under the direction of the U.S. Customs Service
and the Justice Department's Computer Crime and Intellectual Property
Section, working in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern
District of Virginia.
Buccaneer marks the most significant law enforcement penetration ever of
international organizations engaged in the illegal distribution of
copyrighted software, games and movies over the Internet. The enforcement
action involved the simultaneous execution of 58 search warrants against
high-level warez leadership and members within the United States and
abroad. It is also the first enforcement action to reach across
international borders and strike at the most highly placed and skilled
members of these international criminal enterprises.
Although one of the primary criminal enterprises targeted by Operation
Buccaneer was the warez group known as "DrinkOrDie," which consists of
approximately 40 members worldwide, the investigation has led to
infiltration and development of cases against individuals from other top
groups as well.
The organizations targeted by Buccaneer are highly structured and
security-conscious criminal groups that specialize in obtaining the latest
computer software, games, and movies; stripping ("cracking") copyright
protections; and releasing the final product to hundreds of Internet sites
worldwide. Because the "suppliers" to these groups are often company
insiders, pirated products frequently are in circulation before, or within
hours, of the release of the legitimate product to consumers. The groups
are structured specifically to avoid detection. It is expected that
hundreds of thousands of copies of software programs, computer games and
movies will be recovered by this effort, with a retail value that is
expected to be in the millions of dollars.
Buccaneer also marks an unprecedented degree of cooperation and
coordination with international law enforcement in the fight against
Intellectual Property violations committed via the Internet. Through a
variety of authorized means, the United States has shared evidence with
counterparts in the United Kingdom, Australia, Norway, and Finland to help
further identify and investigate numerous significant foreign targets
engaged in this criminal conspiracy.
Operation Bandwidth
On December 11, 2001, the longest-running of the undercover operations
culminated with the execution of over 30 search warrants across the United
States and Canada. This undercover operation, code-named ‘Bandwidth,' was
a two-year covert investigation established as a joint investigative
effort to gather evidence to support identification and prosecution of
entities and individuals involved with illegal access to computer systems
and the piracy of proprietary software utilizing ‘warez' storage sites on
the Internet.
Bandwidth, through the joint efforts of the Defense Criminal Investigative
Service (DCIS), the Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector
General (EPA-OIG), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI),
supervised by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Nevada,
created a ‘warez' site, controlled and monitored by the undercover
operation, as a means of attracting predicated targets involved with the
distribution of pirated software. The undercover ‘warez' site has been
accessed to transfer over 100,000 files, including over 12,000 separate
software programs, movies and games.
Over 200 different individuals participated in the software pirating
efforts. Those individuals were able to attain first-run movies, the
latest computer games, and versions of notable software products even
before they were publicly introduced. As a result of Operation Bandwidth,
thousands of copies of pirated software are expected to be removed from
circulation, as well as the seizure and forfeiture of the computer
hardware and servers used to facilitate the crimes.
Operation Digital Piratez
Operation Digital Piratez is a year-long undercover operation by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation's Boston Field Office, which has been
supervised by the United States Attorney's Office for the District of New
Hampshire. On December 11, 2001, the FBI executed nine search warrant, and
obtained consent for an additional three searches, on computers located
across the country. During this investigation, undercover Special Agents
of the Federal Bureau of Investigation successfully infiltrated several
Warez distribution organizations. This investigation targeted not only the
Warez sites and those who operated them, it also targeted the "cracking
groups" specifically created for the purpose of pirating software so that
it may be distributed over the Internet in violation of U.S. copyright
laws.
Each of the ongoing investigations has benefitted from the important
assistance provided by various intellectual property trade associations,
including the Interactive Digital Software Association, the Business
Software Alliance, the Motion Picture Association and individual
companies, including Microsoft and Sega Corporation.
01-643
© 2001 US Department of Justice