'Operation Fastlink' nets arrests in Fairlight piracy organization

Multinational swoop on Fairlight pirates



Police in 11 countries have carried out a total of 120 searches and numerous arrests to crack a piracy organisation called Fairlight.



More than 200 computers were seized worldwide, including 30 servers used as storage and distribution hubs. One of the servers seized in the US contained an estimated 65,000 pirated titles and police estimate that hundreds of thousands of illegally copied titles are held on the seized machines.



'Operation Fastlink' was coordinated by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, which carried out raids in 27 states in the US.



In the UK, the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit worked with the Business Software Alliance and the Federation Against Copyright Theft to provide information for search warrants.



More on the story at Silicon.com : Multinational swoop on Fairlight pirates



'Operation Fastlink' Is The Largest Global Enforcement Action Ever Undertaken Against Online Piracy



Washington -- Attorney General John Ashcroft has announced the most far-reaching and aggressive enforcement action ever undertaken against organizations involved in illegal intellectual property piracy over the Internet. Beginning yesterday morning, law enforcement from 10 countries and the United States conducted over 120 searches worldwide to dismantle some of the most well-known and prolific online piracy organizations.



More on the story at LinuxElectrons



Local newspapers account for how far-reaching the raids were



I started to look into the local news reports for 'Operation Fastlink' and found many references to the raids that were carried out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other law enforcement agencies. Each news agency put their local twist on the raids.



The University of Maryland's independant student newspaper, 'The Diamondback', reported a frat house being raided. FBI agents with a search warrant entered a boarder's room in the Kappa Alpha fraternity house at 1 Fraternity Row and confiscated a computer and PlayStation 2.



Early Wednesday morning, FBI agents executed a search warrant at a Deer Valley Unified School District administrative building in Arizona and two other sites in the State. Although no computer equipment was confiscated, about 20 Deer Valley employees were questioned Wednesday when FBI agents appeared at the district's technology center with a sealed warrant.