HK: 2 arrested for 'top-site' piracy
2009/06/16
Hong Kong Customs officers have arrested two members of an international piracy syndicate using high-speed Internet servers for distributing infringing items, and seized computer equipment worth about $34,000.
By setting up high-speed computer servers, the syndicate enabled its members to upload and download the infringing items. The so-called "top-site" was operated in a highly secret manner, and new members could join only through existing members.
Customs officers earlier received reports from the copyright industry representatives, who suspected such a top-site had been set up to distribute infringing items. The anti-Internet piracy team located the IP address of the servers concerned and the suspects, and raided two residential premises in Chai Wan and Kowloon Bay on June 9.
Top-site may have operated for 2 years+
A 23-year-old man was arrested at the Chai Wan premises and three computers loaded with a large quantity of movies, music and computer programmes files were seized.
At the Kowloon Bay premises, a 35-year-old man suspected to have downloaded infringing items from the top-site for distribution through the Internet was arrested.
A computer loaded with a large quantity of infringing computer programmes, music, animation and comics was seized.
It was believed that the top-site had been operating for more than two years with about 200 active members in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, India, Australia, the United States and Canada.
Other than setting up a top-site in Hong Kong, the syndicate might have also set up similar top-sites in other places. Similar enforcement action against top-sites has taken place overseas.
Source: news.gov.hk
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