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Operation in Our Sites: 758 Domains, Nearly $900,000 Seized

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has just released a few new details on Operation in Our Sites, the ongoing and often controversial initiative to crack down on sites allegedly used to sell counterfeit goods or that are otherwise involved in copyright infringement.

“The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) led National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) and the Department of Justice seized more than $896,000 in proceeds from the distribution of counterfeit sports apparel as the result of an investigation into the sale of counterfeit goods on commercial websites,” ICE report today.

“The investigation also resulted in the seizure of seven domain names engaged in the sale of counterfeit goods. The funds were seized from interbank accounts and three PayPal accounts.”

Operation in Our Sites has been running since its first targets (including NinjaVideo) were hit back in June 2010.

According to ICE, to date a total of 758 domain names have been seized.

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  • Anonymous

    Unlawful seizures. Team America at it again.

    • ANoi

      even the name “”in Our Sites “”….WTF….

      ALL websites , now owned by “Team America”

    • Andrew Lee

      Well in that case of Team America I’ll say FUCK NO. Plus $896,000 I mean 758 domains and that’s all they got? I thought the pirates were responsible for losses in the billions. I mean shit the drug raid in AZ the found around 100 million. That’s one house and the drug war is still completely ineffective and extremely costly. I mean the figures the RIAA and others preach they should have at least confiscated a good 30 to 40 times what the entire planet is worth.

      They’re worried about pirated files and all the while there are

      Child/Adult Prostitution/Slavery Rings
      Unsolved Murders
      Active Serial Killers
      Active Rapist
      Homeless people starving right here in our own back yard as well as the rest of the world.
      Countless billions being wasted on ineffective laws to make them more harsh rather then innovate.
      Uncured Diseases
      Innocent people in prisons.
      Corruption in judicial systems.

      The list can go on all day and every one of these problems exist not just in America but world wide. We spend our money worrying about all this other stuff when compared is absolutely pointless. How about this RIAA instead of spending millions to ensure you might make a few more bucks go help some people in real fucking need!

      Some of the people copying files might actually feel bad for doing it if it was owned by someone trying to do so much good for the world. Right now I highly doubt anyone copying anything of theirs gives two fucks about it and probably wishes they would kill themselves. Not to mention countless that’s stopped using their products completely.

      Those who do good things have good come back to them. Honestly they deserve every bad thing that happens to them it’s karma. Bitch about me saying they deserved to have their products copied I don’t care they deserve it and much worse like people not watching their products at all. Can’t talk about something you’ve never seen.

  • http://twitter.com/happyizpunjai happy

    America mad because only the rich can by legit products. And the poor gets fake product that looks rich.

  • Anyone

    lesson learned: don’t use paypal

    • Guest

      Solution: Bitcoins.

      • Lakisha

        there are tons of other payment processors besides bitcoin & paypal (aka scampal) see paypalsucks dot com for how bad paypal is and there are tons of other sites.

      • Guest

        You mean BitPITA? No thanks, I will pass.

    • Abunchofgibberish

      I don’t understand. How do you get “don’t use Paypal” from that? I get “don’t be gullible.”

    • Thomasjkonrad

      Paypal is one of the worst ways to accept and handle money. Contrary to popular belief, they are “NOT” FDIC Insured & usually vote in favor of the buyer.. Even if the seller has proof of purchase/delivery.

  • http://www.twitter.com/echoman74 echoman

    Throw them cookies.

  • Named

    Are they selling the pirated content? if so … I understand why they took the website offline – and I’m glad they did.

    Otherwise, (just gaining money from ads), fuck you entertainment industry.

    • Anonymous

      Selling means goods such as “fake” nike airmax, gucci, rolex and so on…Not necessarily a DVD of family guy.

    • http://twitter.com/Mathew30 Mathew Lisett

      but from the view of the enterainment insudstray even gainign money via the ads, even though very legal. would still be said is gained becuase of the copyrighted content, which in a court of law (by the uk anyway) would be deemed as gaining money via distribution even if theres no sellign happening.

      just like the stream sites, they gain becuase of the ads, and equally becuase of the streamed content, they then get done for distribution of content and if their lawyer cant prove otheriwse, money gained via fraud.

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  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Don-Dilly/1624894683 Don Dilly

    Do the math
    758 Domains, Nearly $900,000, thats litle more than a 1000 bucks a site and probably nowhere near covers the cost of the operation and really shows the size fish they are catching.

    You tell me thats not overkill

    • Anonymous

      Exactly.

      Feds spent $10,000,000 ($10 million) of tax-payer money to seize less than $1 million.

      Nice job, morons.

      • Guest

        Did you pull that $10 million figure out of your ass, asshat?

        • Anonymous

          Of all the effort, staff and paid law-enforcement involved, it is unimaginable if the cost of the operations of taking ~1000 websites down cost in excess of $2M. Remember that attorneys costs money and they got stop-watches. Clearly the operation of “in our sites” is not beneficial to the American public since they are the ones footing the bill, asshat.

        • Thomasjkonrad

          No, you idiot.. That’s a factual number. Maybe you should read the Huffington Post sometime instead of your outdated Archie comics…

        • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_IZ5BM5GNLA54OADSWGSXAMA7SY Jay

          Actually, it’s $5 million. I read the DoJ budget request for 2013. They plan to expand their criminal infringement policy greatly this coming year and spend $4 million more.

      • Wankmychain

         but the fed’s got 50 mill from the mafiaa… and they have public opinion now with all the new hype. the stupid idiots that are spreading virii & botshit all over the web are the stupid sheep that they want sitting in the jury box & voting in the new bullshit laws. stupid people kill more civil rights than anyone!

  • 345345

    Only people who get their domains seized are the ones who didnt realize they should stay away from US owned tlds

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