BitTorrent sites have long been a target of slighted copyright holders seeking to protect their intellectual property. File sharing services offered by The Pirate Bay, Megaupload and others are invaluable, though possibly illegal. The office of the United States Trade Representative, which fosters trade agreements and interacts directly with foreign governments on myriad issues, published a report on the most "notorious" BT sites out there.
Is your favorite on the list?
TorrentFreak discovered the report - which can be read in its entirety here - posted yesterday on the USTR's official site. Titled "Out-of-Cycle Review of Notorious Markets," the published summary plainly lists various sites where "pirated or counterfeit goods are reportedly available," along with the countries of origin.
In case you didn't already know where to find an illegitimate copy of "Black Swan," now you do - "reportedly."
While the USTR isn't tasked with seeking out or seizing web sites that infringe copyrights or host illicit content (in the U.S., that matters falls to the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice and ICE - none of which have been doing a particularly sterling job lately), the office confirms America has the proper authorities' backs: "The United States urges the responsible authorities to intensify efforts to combat piracy and counterfeiting in these and similar markets, and to use the information contained in the Notorious Markets List to pursue legal action where appropriate."
Among the most well known and popular making the list are Russia's "Rutracker," Ukraine-based "Demonoid" and Sweden's "The Pirate Bay."
The USTR declares its report "does not purport to reflect findings of legal violations" - which is basically true. The USTR just wants other agencies to use its findings to uncover legal violations and shut down the perpetrators.
