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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The empire struck back against Internet pirates, as US authorities shut down a website that had been distributing illicit copies of the new "Star Wars" film even before it hit movie theaters.
Federal agents seized computers and other equipment from a a file-sharing network known as Elite Torrents, which according to officials had some 133,000 members and had been responsible for some 2.1 million downloads, the Justice Department said.
Persons seeking to access the site elitetorrents.org found a message saying, "This site has been permanently shut down by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement."
Justice Department spokesman Bryan Sierra said the site had been distributing pirated copies of "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith," which was released last week, as well as other movies and software.
Sierra said there were no arrests or criminal charges filed, but that "this is an ongoing investigation."
He said computers and other equipment were seized in 10 different US locations.
The Justice Department said the site posted the film more than six hours before it was shown in theaters and was downloaded at least 10,000 times.
According to the Motion Picture Association of America, the site was among the first networks to post an illegal copy of before the Star Wars movie before it opened in theaters last Thursday.
"Today's actions are bad news for Internet movie thieves and good news for preserving the magic of the movies," said MPAA president Dan Glickman.
"Shutting down illegal file swapping networks like Elite Torrents is an essential part of our fight to stop movie thieves from stealing copyrighted materials."
The site was using a technology called BitTorrent, which enables users to quickly download large files such as films, by taking "bits" simultaneously from various computer users and reassembling them.
"Our goal is to shut down as much of this illegal operation as quickly as possible to stem the serious financial damage to the victims of this high-tech piracy -- the people who labor to produce these copyrighted products," said Acting Assistant Attorney General John Richter.
"Today's crackdown sends a clear and unmistakable message to anyone involved in the online theft of copyrighted works that they cannot hide behind new technology."
According to MPAA, Elite Torrents received 8.5 million hits a day and was frequented by over 100,000 users daily.
The Hollywood association said the site posted several thousand movie titles including "House of Wax," "Kingdom of Heaven," "Unleashed," "Monster-in-Law," and "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" as well as television shows including the full seasons of "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost."
The MPAA estimates that the film industry lost approximately 3.5 billion dollars to movie piracy in 2004, a total that does not include losses due to illegal file sharing online. According to a Smith Barney study, that number is expected to jump to 5.4 billion dollars in 2005.
Federal agents seized computers and other equipment from a a file-sharing network known as Elite Torrents, which according to officials had some 133,000 members and had been responsible for some 2.1 million downloads, the Justice Department said.
Persons seeking to access the site elitetorrents.org found a message saying, "This site has been permanently shut down by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement."
Justice Department spokesman Bryan Sierra said the site had been distributing pirated copies of "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith," which was released last week, as well as other movies and software.
Sierra said there were no arrests or criminal charges filed, but that "this is an ongoing investigation."
He said computers and other equipment were seized in 10 different US locations.
The Justice Department said the site posted the film more than six hours before it was shown in theaters and was downloaded at least 10,000 times.
According to the Motion Picture Association of America, the site was among the first networks to post an illegal copy of before the Star Wars movie before it opened in theaters last Thursday.
"Today's actions are bad news for Internet movie thieves and good news for preserving the magic of the movies," said MPAA president Dan Glickman.
"Shutting down illegal file swapping networks like Elite Torrents is an essential part of our fight to stop movie thieves from stealing copyrighted materials."
The site was using a technology called BitTorrent, which enables users to quickly download large files such as films, by taking "bits" simultaneously from various computer users and reassembling them.
"Our goal is to shut down as much of this illegal operation as quickly as possible to stem the serious financial damage to the victims of this high-tech piracy -- the people who labor to produce these copyrighted products," said Acting Assistant Attorney General John Richter.
"Today's crackdown sends a clear and unmistakable message to anyone involved in the online theft of copyrighted works that they cannot hide behind new technology."
According to MPAA, Elite Torrents received 8.5 million hits a day and was frequented by over 100,000 users daily.
The Hollywood association said the site posted several thousand movie titles including "House of Wax," "Kingdom of Heaven," "Unleashed," "Monster-in-Law," and "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" as well as television shows including the full seasons of "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost."
The MPAA estimates that the film industry lost approximately 3.5 billion dollars to movie piracy in 2004, a total that does not include losses due to illegal file sharing online. According to a Smith Barney study, that number is expected to jump to 5.4 billion dollars in 2005.
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