IFPI Welcomes Czech Server Shutdown
The International Federation for the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) on Wednesday
revealed that Czech police have shut down a computer server being used to illegally
store and upload large amounts of copyright infringing music and film onto the
internet.
The server was hosted at the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic in Prague,
though owned by a private legal entity, and was used to power the topsite ‘BA’
or ‘blind alley’. Topsites are websites used by groups of users
known as “release groups” to leak pre-release music onto the internet.
Police discovered the server contained an estimated four terabytes of copyright
infringing music, film, games and software and was connected to the internet
by a fast one gigabyte line to enable the material to be distributed quickly
and efficiently. This makes it one of the most powerful servers ever closed
in police action, according to the IFPI. The police raid followed an investigation by local and international anti-piracy
experts from IFPI. Jeremy Banks, Head of the IFPI’s Internet Anti-Piracy Unit, explained
that: “Pre-release music piracy hurts artists, composers and producers
who have spent months working to make an album. We are working to identify the
“topsites” that are being used to post pre-release music illegally
onto the internet and secure the closure of the servers that power them."
He concluded: “This operation was a great example of cooperation between the Czech
authorities and the recording industry. It shows that the Czech Republic is
no haven for internet pirates that want to violate copyright law in such a serious
way.” .
|
|
IMPORTANT NOTICE: TAX-NEWS.COM has taken reasonable care in sourcing and presenting the information contained on this site, but accepts no responsibility for any financial or other loss or damage that may result from its use. In particular, users of the site are advised to take appropriate professional advice before committing themselves to involvement in offshore jurisdictions, offshore trusts or offshore investments. All materials on this site copyright TAX-NEWS.COM 1999 to 2007. Contact us for further information.