Major Italian File Sharing Forum Shut Down
Four alleged operators of a popular copyright-infringing music forum face heavy
fines and potential prison sentences after Italian police shut down the site
and seized servers and thousands of illegal files and discs, the International
Federation for the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) announced on Tuesday. Downrevolution.net was one of the biggest forum sites in Italy, providing links
which 30,000 registered subscribers used to illegally swap music and film. Content
was being made available via known locker services such as Rapidshare.com and
megaupload.com, which resulted in some half a million downloads. IFPI welcomed the announcement of the closure of the investigation, which was
conducted by the Fiscal Police of Milan and co-ordinated by the Public Prosecutor
from Lodi. Jeremy Banks, IFPI’s Head of Internet Anti-Piracy Unit, observed that:
“This shows a real commitment by the authorities to stopping online copyright
theft, and it also highlights that forums like these are anything but immune
from the law.” Four people believed to be the operators of the site, which was founded in
2007 and was also earning revenues from banner advertising, have been prosecuted
for violating Italian copyright law. They face potential imprisonment of up
to three years, a fine of EUR15,000, and administrative sanctions running into
hundreds of thousands of euros. .
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