TV-links.co.uk, the UK's most used piracy film website has been closed down and its owner arrested after a raid by the anti-piracy group, Federation Against Copyright Theft (Fact).
The closure was a first for major UK-based pirate sites and the owner, a 26-year-old man from Cheltenham, was arrested for charges relating to facilitating copyright infringement over the internet.
FACT claims that the site was providing links to pirated films as well as American TV shows.
"Sites such as TV Links contribute to and profit from copyright infringement by identifying, posting, organising, and indexing links to infringing content found on the internet that users can then view on demand by visiting these illegal sites," said a spokesman for FACT.
Kieron Sharp, director general of FACT said the site was just the first of what they hope will be a successful campaign to crackdown on piracy over the internet.
"The theft and distribution of films harms the livelihoods of those working in the UK film industry and in ancillary industries, as well as damaging the economy," he said.
The British Video Association (BVA) has stated that piracy caused an estimated £459 million in losses to the video, film and TV industries last year.
Source:
Guardian
FACT claims that the site was providing links to pirated films as well as American TV shows.
"Sites such as TV Links contribute to and profit from copyright infringement by identifying, posting, organising, and indexing links to infringing content found on the internet that users can then view on demand by visiting these illegal sites," said a spokesman for FACT.
Kieron Sharp, director general of FACT said the site was just the first of what they hope will be a successful campaign to crackdown on piracy over the internet.
"The theft and distribution of films harms the livelihoods of those working in the UK film industry and in ancillary industries, as well as damaging the economy," he said.
The British Video Association (BVA) has stated that piracy caused an estimated £459 million in losses to the video, film and TV industries last year.
Source:
Guardian
