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5 December 2019CopyrightSaman Javed

Global piracy sting seizes 1m website domains

A collaboration between government agencies worldwide has shuttered more than 1 million copyright-infringing website domains selling counterfeit goods this year.

In an announcement on December 2, the day of the Cyber Monday online shopping event, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said that aside from counterfeit goods, the seized websites also distributed copyright-protected film and TV content.

Of the websites seized that were selling counterfeit goods, most products were part of the electronics or fashion industries. The most popular products sold were watches, jewellery, handbags and wallets.

ICE said approximately 35,000 website domain names were seized in a joint effort between its Homeland Security Investigations, Europol, Interpol and police forces from 20 different countries, in an ongoing operation named ‘Operation in Our Sites”.

Steve Francis, director of the US National IP Rights Center, which took part in the operation, said Operation in Our Sites is a “comprehensive approach” to making the internet safer.

“For most, the holidays represent a season of goodwill and giving, but for criminals, it’s the season to lure in unsuspecting holiday shoppers because of the popularity of online shopping,” Francis said.

Additionally, industry partners participating in the operation were responsible for the seizure of 1.1 million domain names through civil actions, and the shutting down of 3 million e-commerce links on social media platforms and marketplaces.

Some of the websites, selling pirated films, television shows, music, software, electronics and counterfeit pharmaceuticals, included Lostmoviesfound.com, Lostmoviefinder.com, SRScovers.com, Panamapharma.com and Istreamitall.com.

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29 November 2019   Most counterfeit products sold in the UK are purchased by consumers who are intentionally buying fake goods, a new report has claimed.