Date: Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Massive File-Sharing Site is Closed Down

Police in Holland and Britain have closed down a popular file-sharing website for copyright infringement. Police raided a number of properties in Teeside and Amsterdam in a large-scale operation, which led to the arrest of a 24-year-old man in Middlesborough. The UK properties searched were thought to be the 24-year-old’s flat, his father’s home and his work address. The addresses in Amsterdam were thought to house the site’s server.

The OiNK website was renowned as one of the biggest websites for downloading pre-release albums. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), “more than 60 major album releases have been leaked on OiNK so far this year.” After an album had been leaked on the OiNK site, it would soon find its way onto various blogs, websites and file-sharing sites. As the IFPI reported, “Within a few hours of a popular pre-release track being posted on the OiNK site, hundreds of copies can be found further down the illegal online supply chain.”

The website worked on an invitation-only basis with members having to prove they had music to offer prior to joining. Once a member, the IFPI reports that users had to “keep posting…music to the site to maintain their membership.” Presumably, OiNK bosses felt that by keeping the website private and carefully vetting members, they would avoid arrest.

A Cleveland Police spokesperson said that members were asked to pay “donations via debit or credit cards, ensuring their continued access to the site.” This meant that the site was a pretty lucrative sideline for the 24-year-old accused, who is thought to be an IT professional. However, as single mother Jammie Thomas was recently fined $222,000 for illegally downloading and sharing music, we can only assume that most of his fortune will be redistributed among the major record labels affected by his piracy.

Sources:

BBC

International Federation of the Phonographic Industry