A year-long investigation into the legality of OiNK came to an end with OiNK administrator Alan Ellis finally being charged with “conspiracy to defraud," with additional charges possible.
In May, six defendants accused of sharing copyrighted music on OiNK were taken into police custody, questioned, and turned over DNA and fingerprints. Two of the original six were later cleared in July, although two of them have now been charged with copyright infringement.
Even though Ellis appears to be facing charges that aren't directly related to copyright violations, the government may use additional evidence to add additional charges besides the "conspiracy to defraud" charge. The government alleged running the popular BitTorrent tracker was "extremely lucrative," helping him make "hundreds of thousands of pounds" during the site's existence. His bail was estended three times as the government continue to collect evidence against him.
All defendants face possible jail sentences for their involvement with OiNK. The evidence against the two alleged file sharers is a bit shaky, so their court date on September 24 will determine if a full jury trial will take place.
OiNK's recent demise was part of Operation Ark Royal, an international operation focused in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and British Phonographic Industry (BPI) were the two organizations responsible for helping police authorities gather evidence. The invite-only service was kept afloat by member donations, and was popular due to the high number of pre-release content available.
At the request of industry trade groups, several nations, including the United States, United Kingdom and France, are attempting to crackdown on popular services that make it easy for users to share music and movies.
