One Of World's Biggest Piracy Groups Taken Down

erek

erek

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"The Sparks Group marketed its content by encoding the filenames of reproduced copyrighted content with distinctive tags, and also uploaded photographs of the discs in their original packaging to demonstrate that the reproduced content originated from authentic DVDs and Blu-Ray discs.

The three men are each charged with copyright infringement conspiracy, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. BRIDI also faces charges of wire fraud conspiracy - which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years - and conspiracy to transport stolen property interstate, which carries a maximum penalty of five years.

"Thanks to the efforts of HSI, the Postal Inspection Service, Eurojust, Europol, and our law enforcement partners in 18 countries on three continents, key members of this group are in custody, and the servers that were the pipeline for wholesale theft of intellectual property are now out of service," says acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss."

https://www.forbes.com/sites/emmawo...iggest-piracy-groups-taken-down/#2f9bb5fa57e6

https://www.pcmag.com/news/a-major-...ged-blu-ray-movies-and-tv-shows-is-dismantled
 
I am really surprised that that they don't leave this stuff to people in countries that don't give a shit about copyright enforcement. Especially surprised to see someone in the USA involved. Probably the most copyright maximalist country on earth.
 
lol when they're desperate to prove their worth.. congrats guys at getting a group that just rips blurays.. because you know that's some hardcore digital piracy right there..

bigddybn said:
I wonder how many millions we spent taking down this ruthless criminal enterprise.
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enough that they could of fed the entire continent of Africa for a few years.. just saying.. but don't worry that money was well worth spending taking down one of the least significant groups in the scene..
 
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sirmonkey1985 said:
enough that they could of fed the entire continent of Africa for a few years.. just saying.. but don't worry that money was well worth spending taking down one of the least significant groups in the scene..
Click to expand...

That's hyperbolic... you'd need many billions! (My partner is from South Africa, so I'm a tad conscious of issues like this.)

What fascinates me more is that they had the gall to take photos of the discs. It's like leaving breadcrumbs for police. "See, here's how we pirated it."
 
Another great use of international law enforcement, taking it to what really matters. Hell, it wasn't even like they were some L33t HaX0rs that cracked into major studio vaults and stole gold master copies or workprints. They simply ripped BluRays and got them "early" (aka when they were already retail-ready yet before street sale dates) through legal - though perhaps underhanded - means, by setting themselves up as a retailer. Ultimately, the most that should come of this is a minor contract terms breach for breaking street dates and misrepresenting their retail operation. There are plenty other "scene" members who do similar stuff where its just some guy who works at BestBuy or whatnot and takes home a copy to rip before the street date. What's more is this will not affect the scene in any major way!

The legal system , especially in the US when it comes to IP, is absolutely bonkers. The idea that these men have to likely plead down from charges possibly around 30 years, likely accepting a much harsher punishment than they really deserve because overcharging is a common cudgel, is lunacy. Combine that with an international coordinated manhunt that is such a bloody waste for a handful of people ripping and uploading BluRays - when nothing of the sort is ever levied at the banking and corporate wrongdoing that ruin the lives of billions, often getting off without so much as an imposition or at most some slap-on-the-wrist - showcases yet another element of late-stage capitalism.
 
bigddybn said:
I wonder how many millions we spent taking down this ruthless criminal enterprise.
Click to expand...
How many millions of tax payer money was used, because it's not like any corporation is paying for this. I'm not even sure why they bother with going after pirates because it never works when there's like a sea of other pirates ready to take their place. Chances are if you pirate then you didn't notice any difference when it comes to downloading content. Also these guys were using Blu-Rays and DVDs which is hilarious during COV19 where movie theaters are closed and people are just ripping straight from the web. So it's tax payer money wasted that isn't even relevant in 2020.
 
Won't change a thing really. Cut off one head, two more shall take it's place and all that.....

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