US DoJ searches homes of Underground Network file sharers

GristyMcFisty and Quakester2000 used our news submit to tell us that things are heating up again in the file sharing world. Just days after the courts decide that file sharing programs are legal, the Department of Justice is flushing out the evil doers using said programs to share copyrighted music. Here is a snippet from the Register.

The US DoJ (Department of Justice) today launched an assault on P2P file traders, using search warrants to investigate five homes and the offices of one ISP (Internet Service Provider). This is the first time the DoJ has applied such drastic measures against file swappers, and the move comes just one week after a California court reaffirmed that decentralized P2P networks are legal.Attorney General John Ashcroft announced the raids during a press conference, saying individuals in Texas, New York and Wisconsin were all under investigation.

"When online thieves illegally distribute copyrighted programs and products, they put the livelihoods of millions of hard-working Americans at risk and damage our economy," Ashcroft said. "The Department of Justice is committed to enforcing intellectual property laws, and we will pursue those who steal copyrighted materials even when they try to hide behind the false anonymity of peer-to-peer networks."

Even though the courts have said P2P programs are legitimate and developers are to be left alone, the Justice Department is sending the message that copyright infringers using said software are still lawbreakers. The group they are investigating is known as the "Underground Network". To become a member, you had to have 100 gigabytes of files ready to share. You can read the whole story at the Register.

Source: The Register

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