Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Video Game Industry Applauds Worldwide Piracy Raids In “Operation Site Down”
uly 11, 2005 -- Washington, DC -- The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) today hailed the work of U.S. and foreign law enforcement agents and prosecutors for their work in “Operation Site Down”, a recent global anti-piracy enforcement initiative that resulted in the dismantling of at least eight major online distribution servers offering millions of dollars worth of illegally pirated games and other works for download.
“We commend U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section, U.S. Attorneys’ offices nationwide, and participating foreign law enforcement officials for their tremendous efforts in targeting these online piracy groups, which represent major priorities for the interactive video game industry,” said Doug Lowenstein, president of ESA, the trade association representing U.S. computer and video game publishers. “This kind of global enforcement action sends a clear message to the pirate community: when it comes to fighting piracy, there are no borders. Intellectual property theft will continue to be pursued aggressively through the combined efforts of foreign law enforcement officials the world over.”
The Department of Justice’s action, code-named “Operation Site Down,” targeted warez “release” groups, including “Myth,” “Vengeance,” and “Gamerz,” which specialized in the early distribution of pirated games throughout the world via the Internet. U.S. and foreign law enforcement officials conducted close to 100 searches worldwide within a 24-hour period. Searches occurred in the U.S., Canada, Israel, France, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany, Portugal, and Australia. The investigation has identified more than 120 individuals around the world, including many leaders or high-level members of piracy groups. The Department of Justice expects that additional targets will be identified and pursued during this ongoing investigation.
“Piracy costs the entertainment software industry billions of dollars each year, harming businesses and their employees who work on the development and distribution of game products, “said Ric Hirsch, ESA senior vice president for Intellectual Property Enforcement. “We believe that targeting warez pirates is a critical step in restricting the growth of game piracy on the Internet. The ESA will continue to support and assist all federal and foreign law enforcement efforts in this area.”
The ESA is the U.S. association dedicated to serving the business and public affairs needs of the companies publishing interactive games for video game consoles, handheld devices, personal computers, and the Internet. ESA members collectively account for more than 90 percent of the $7.3 billion in entertainment software sales in the U.S. in 2004, and billions more in export sales of entertainment software. For more information about the ESA, please visit www.theESA.com.
source: http://www.theesa.com/archives/2005/07/video_game_indu.php
