Police find one of world's biggest illegal music sharing websites – in Middlesbrough flat

 

Last updated at 13:58pm on 23rd October 2007 Comments (1)

Police today closed down one of the world's biggest illegal music file sharing websites - operating from a flat in Middlesbrough.

Around 180,000 people were members of the private http://www.oink.cd website and paid to upload and download music - many of it not even released yet by record companies.

Police and music industry investigators were targeting one man who was believed to have been running the website and making hundreds of thousands of pounds a year from this illegal enterprise.

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Arrest: A suspect is led away to a waiting police van from the flat in Middlesbrough

 

In a low key operation, the home of a 24-year-old IT worker was raided in Grange Road, Middlesbrough.

At the same time his father's home and his employer - a large multi-national company - were also raided.

The website's server, which was based in Amsterdam, was also closed down by Dutch police.

The 24-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and infringement of copyright law.

Cleveland Police said he would be questioned by detectives in connection with the running of the website.

Members joined the http://www.oink.co.uk website by invitation only and paid a "donation" via a debit or credit card to be able to share music with others.

Payments were received electronically into the website's company account. Detective Sergeant Tony Keogh, who led this morning's operation, said the three-month investigation had involved Interpol, the Dutch authorities and the British Phonographic Industry.

"The site specialised in sharing music and media, including pre-recorded material," he said.

"This is an infringement of copyright law that in financial terms causes immeasurable lost to record companies.

"We have been working closely with Interpol and our Dutch colleagues in Amsterdam where the website server is based to ensure that it too was secured at the time of arrest."

Chief Superintendent Mark Braithwaite, head of crime with Cleveland Police, added: "While some might view this type of act as a victimless crime there is no such thing - as the cost of an enterprise such as this will be added to the cost of any legitimate purchases further down the line.

"This is big business - with hundreds of thousands being made."

oink is gone!!!!!!!!!!! :(

 

The servers of OiNK.cd - one of the most popular private BitTorrent trackers - are raided and the admin, a 24-year-old man from Middlesbrough, is arrested.

 

 

 

The British and the Dutch police both contributed to the investigation that was initiated by the IFPI and the BPI, two well known anti-piracy organizations. The operation was supported by Interpol who coordinated the international cooperation.

According to early reports OiNk’s servers were confiscated in Amsterdam last week. This seems to be unlikely because the site was still fully functional 24 hours ago. The administrator of OiNK was arrested this morning by the Cleveland Police. The BBC reports that his employer and the home of his father were raided as well.

Jeremy Banks, Head of the IFPI’s Internet Anti-Piracy Unit, said in a reponse to the news: “OiNK was central to the illegal distribution of pre-release music online. This was not a case of friends sharing music for pleasure. This was a worldwide network that got hold of music they did not own the rights to and posted it online.”

OiNK hosted hundreds and thousands of torrents with over a million peers which makes it more popular than most public trackers. The site was known to be one of the first places where leaked music albums appeared, so anti-piracy outfits such as MediaDefender were keeping a close eye on it.

In July the tracker already changed its name from OiNK.me.uk to OiNK.cd due to “legal” issues with their domain registrar. Unfortunately it now seems that the popular private BitTorrent tracker is in bigger trouble.

 

 

http://torrentfreak.com/oinkcd-servers-raided-admin-arrested/

The news on da street is that anyone with an Oink account from December 2005 is in hot water with the authorities......NO MATTER how much or how little they uploaded/snatched/stole/pillaged/enslaved onto their computer.

 

Is that a friendly policemen aknocking on your door?

Well as he was making money out of it, he got what he deserved.;)

Still, he must be feeling pretty "pig" sick!!:rolleyes:

Moved to World of Music as it will get a bigger impact here.

Moved to World of Music as it will get a bigger impact here.

 

That's where I had put it in the first place.:rolleyes:

O Really?

 

When I heard the headline "Huge pirate music site shut down", I thought they had closed down the popular music site of Captain Pugwash so you can purchase pirate music to scare your neighbours

 

O Really?

 

When I heard the headline "Huge pirate music site shut down", I thought they had closed down the popular music site of Captain Pugwash so you can purchase pirate music to scare your neighbours

 

 

That was shut down a long time ago because of Seaman Staines, Master Bates and Roger the cabin boy.:rolleyes:

Now where I am going to get my pirate music from?

Now where I am going to get my pirate music from?

 

Radio Caroline??:rolleyes:

They don't accept Visa

They don't accept Visa

 

Have you run out of pieces of eight, then??:rolleyes:

Yep :(

Yep :(

 

Then maybe you should consider setting up a phone-line scam!!:P

ITV's already done it

there isn't actually any copyrighted material hosted on oink's servers. the guy just needs a good lawyer, there's no way they can pin copyright infringement on him.

Well I reckon it won't be so easy for him to save his own bacon.................. :rolleyes:

Well I reckon it won't be so easy for him to save his own bacon.................. :rolleyes:

 

 

well, from the point of view of the law, the members of oink are actually guilty of copyright infringement, as they're the ones hosting and sharing the copyrighted materials.

there's a similar incident with isohunt, which is still operating at 100%, because the dude who owns it has a good lawyer. :P

I was a member since the start.....

 

maybe I should keep my mouth shut!!!

:( i was never a member! who? what? leave me alone

 

*hides

I state on the record that not at any time did I know that downloading was illegal.

 

I'm completely retarded and didn't know what I was doing.

 

(there, that should do it)

I state on the record that not at any time did I know that downloading was illegal.

 

I'm completely retarded and didn't know what I was doing.

 

(there, that should do it)

 

I second that :uhoh:

*hides*

http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_7050000/newsid_7057100/7057111.stm?bw=nb&mp=wm&news=1&ms3=6

and to think I was going to open one. :shocked2: