www.oink.cd

[Begbie]

Police shut down website after two-year music piracy inquiry

• • Bobbie Johnson, technology correspondent
  • The Guardian
  • Wednesday October 24 2007

British police have closed down what they claim is one of the world's largest music piracy websites after a two-year pan-European operation. A series of raids in Middlesbrough and Amsterdam resulted in the arrest of a 24-year-old man and the closure of Oink, a private website that allowed users to locate and download music and other files.
The closure has been welcomed by the music industry, which said that leaked copies of pre-release records meant that Oink users were able to access hundreds of albums before they reached the shops.
The invitation-only website, which had an estimated 180,000 users, was well known among internet filesharers as one of the most popular and exclusive sources of free downloads.

Following raids on a flat and offices on Teesside, Cleveland police confirmed they had arrested the site's administrator on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and infringement of copyright law. No payment was required, but police said members paid donations via debit or credit cards to ensure continued access. A force spokesman said the scheme was "extremely lucrative".

The raids came after an investigation overseen by Interpol. Police also claimed that last week they had seized servers belonging to Oink and based in the Netherlands - although the website remained in operation as late as Monday.

"Oink was central to the illegal distribution of pre-release music online," said Jeremy Banks, head of anti-piracy at the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). "This was not a case of friends sharing music for pleasure. This was a worldwide network that got hold of music they did not own the rights to and posted it online." Filesharing services which allow to swap copyright-protected content have been the bete noire of the music industry ever since the rise of Napster in 2000. Although Napster was closed down, and subsequent court cases have shut or hampered the growth of services including Grokster and Kazaa, filesharing remains popular among many music fans. Oink is just one of hundreds of private tracker websites available online.

Although it does not host any illegal material itself, it has been described by downloaders as one of the most exclusive online destinations for getting hold of new music illegally.

This article was amended on Wednesday October 24 2007. We were wrong to say that Oink, a private website that has recently been closed by police, allowed users to locate and download movies. Members could download music files but sharing movies was not allowed. This has been corrected.

Police shut down website after two-year music piracy inquiry | Technology | The Guardian

WWW.OINK.CD

[mrsquirrel]

I want my money back if he has gone.