"Intellectual Property Crime Unit" launching in the UK next month - big crackdown on torrent sites coming

[Steve]

 

 

A clearer picture is emerging on how the UK police Intellectual Property Crime Unit will operate when it’s launched in September. The unit, which is already targeting torrent sites located both in the UK and overseas, will act on intelligence provided by rightsholders and ensure that copyright cases are allocated greater resources than they have in the past. Information sharing will also allow evidence in criminal cases to be used to recover damages via the civil courts.

Early June, City of London Police informed TorrentFreak that they had begun targeting sites that provide access to unauthorized content for “criminal gain.”

The ongoing initiative is part of a collaboration with Hollywood studios represented by the Federation Against Copyright Theft and the major recording labels of the BPI. Many torrent sites received letters in which they were warned they were breaking the law. Shutting down, the letters implied, would be the safest course of action.

 

Full story, HERE.

 

I'm glad that public money is being spent on this, because the UK police should be acting to protect the interests of US companies. I also think it's good that they are sending warning letters to sites that aren't even hosted in the UK, because if we're going to be America's bitch, we need to be America's World Police bitch.

[Guest Symatic]

i read a good story about the new elysium film's director, and how he went to hollywood to pitch his idea and all the execs talked about 'this is a great peice of IP (intelectual property)' rather than 'this is a great story'.

 

Its all just about money, not about Art.

 

Fuck em.