2008 Woodie Awards
Sharers feel, fear crackdown
By: Bryan Sayler
Issue date: 11/15/07 Section: Feature
Last update: 11/15/07 at 2:47 PM EST
Last update: 11/15/07 at 2:47 PM EST
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European officials dealt a painful blow to criminals everywhere with last month's Operation Ark Royal-a daring series of raids and arrests in Britain and Amsterdam.
But the crimes in question weren't exactly the standard sort. The contraband seized was more akin to Dell than dope, and the alleged criminals look more like that sweaty kid from history class than characters from a Guy Ritchie film.
This all took place on Oct. 23, when an international group of law enforcement agencies made headlines by shutting down OiNK's Pink Palace, a leading player in the world of illegal file sharing. The site's Amsterdam-based host's servers were seized, and its 24-year-old creator, Alan Ellis, was arrested on fraud charges.
With a user base over 180,000 strong, OiNK had long been a target of anti-piracy groups. The site-which operated as an invitation-only BitTorrent file-sharing community-was seen by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry as the "primary source worldwide for illegal pre-release music." Some reports estimate that, in 2007 alone, OiNK was the original source for over 60 leaks.
"I think the biggest problem that people in the record industry had with OiNK was that, if something leaked, it leaked on OiNK first," said one Duke student, a former OiNK user who wished to remain anonymous for legal reasons.
Because of its reputation, the site became something of a lightning rod within the artistic community. Some artists, such as Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, were active proponents of the site, though most rallied against it.
David Phipps, keyboardist for electronic group Sound Tribe Sector 9, publicly denounced OiNK in a open letter to fans, saying: "When you steal my music, YOU ARE STEALING FOOD FROM MY DAUGHTER'S PLATE. Consider sts9 via OiNK to be triple-hexed."
With such attention fixed on it, the site was forced to take extreme measures to stay alive. Earlier this year, it went so far as to relocate its domain from the United Kingdom to the (all but) Democratic Republic of Congo. The move forestalled its shutdown, but ultimately proved only to be a temporary fix.
But the crimes in question weren't exactly the standard sort. The contraband seized was more akin to Dell than dope, and the alleged criminals look more like that sweaty kid from history class than characters from a Guy Ritchie film.
This all took place on Oct. 23, when an international group of law enforcement agencies made headlines by shutting down OiNK's Pink Palace, a leading player in the world of illegal file sharing. The site's Amsterdam-based host's servers were seized, and its 24-year-old creator, Alan Ellis, was arrested on fraud charges.
With a user base over 180,000 strong, OiNK had long been a target of anti-piracy groups. The site-which operated as an invitation-only BitTorrent file-sharing community-was seen by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry as the "primary source worldwide for illegal pre-release music." Some reports estimate that, in 2007 alone, OiNK was the original source for over 60 leaks.
"I think the biggest problem that people in the record industry had with OiNK was that, if something leaked, it leaked on OiNK first," said one Duke student, a former OiNK user who wished to remain anonymous for legal reasons.
Because of its reputation, the site became something of a lightning rod within the artistic community. Some artists, such as Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, were active proponents of the site, though most rallied against it.
David Phipps, keyboardist for electronic group Sound Tribe Sector 9, publicly denounced OiNK in a open letter to fans, saying: "When you steal my music, YOU ARE STEALING FOOD FROM MY DAUGHTER'S PLATE. Consider sts9 via OiNK to be triple-hexed."
With such attention fixed on it, the site was forced to take extreme measures to stay alive. Earlier this year, it went so far as to relocate its domain from the United Kingdom to the (all but) Democratic Republic of Congo. The move forestalled its shutdown, but ultimately proved only to be a temporary fix.
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