BREIN takes down chain of 75 illegal P2P sites

The Hague, 12th December 2008

75 Dutch websites were taken down from the internet today because they structurally posted illegal links to files containing films, music, games and other creative content made available without the permission of the relevant right holders. Never before have so many illegal file-sharing sites been removed from the internet simultaneously. These sites were managed by several different operators, but all made use of the same technical model that was obtained from the same individual. The websites made money by giving preferential treatment to users that paid a ‘donation’. Such users were enabled to download unlimited amounts of illegal content for a set period of time.

The action concerned sites including Allmypower.org, Luckytorrents.org, Allmymovies.org, Digi-tor.org and Seederstor.org. In total, these sites had around 100,000 links to copyright infringing material and half a million Dutch users. The sites were in Dutch but offered access to international popular content.

“Clearly this is an organisation aimed at illegally making money by systematically organising the theft of other people’s creative work through a chain of relatively small sites,” says BREIN director Tim Kuik: “Knowingly linking to illegal content is illegal itself. These sites did so structurally. They are party to a crime.”

BREIN filed a complaint with the Fiscal Police about this organised chain of illegal sites. “We have taken down the sites ourselves through civil notices. Further information with respect to the operators and the brain behind them will be forwarded to the police as well,” adds Kuik: “We urge the prosecution of this criminal organisation. At the same time, we are continuing our own investigation in order to claim damages from those responsible through civil action.”