GristyMcFisty used our news submit to tell us that German police officers have arrested a 46 old lawyer who along with his brothers offered pirated software, games and movies through a high speed service called Ftpwelt.com. The service was in operation for over a year before they were caught, it is believed the men made well over 1 Million dollars during the services operation of which most of this money went through a company in the virgin islands. The German society for the pursuit of copyright infringement said this has been a serious blow to the warez community.
The German society for the pursuit pf copyright infringement now has a list of over 45,000 customers that paid to use the pirate service and these customers may now face the legal consequences. The willing users of the service could pay either through their credit cards or directly through their bank accounts as well as the use of premium services. Customers could pay 15 dollars for three movies a month or 135 dollars for an all you can eat type service. Some of the movies available had been recorded on digital camcorders in cinemas.
The police monitored the suspects for several months after the service was exposed by a hacker who gained access to the Ftpwelt servers and found details on the operation as well as customer accounts. More arrests may follow.
| German police have arrested a 46 year-old lawyer who, The organisation says it also has a list of 45,000 customers who knowingly paid for illegal content and may have to face legal consequences later. German papers today report that the main suspect, Bernhard S., was responsible for bookkeeping and finance. The three men operated several fileservers in the Netherlands, the USA and Russia. Customers paid with credit cards, directly through their bank or through premium rate services. They could download three movies for €15 or pay €135 per month for an all-you-can-eat menu. Among the releases offered were movies shot in cinemas with digital camcorders. According to the police the men grossed over €1m. Most of the money went through an offshore company on the Virgin Islands. Police monitored the suspects for several months after a curious hacker gained access to their servers and discovered many details about the operation, including a list of customer accounts. More arrests may follow. |
Full story over at The Register. Looks like 45,000 customers of the service will soon be facing some kind of bill or legal threat.
Source: The Register
