US Agencies Seize 150 Sites Accused of Selling Counterfeit Goods

The U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Immigrations and Customs duty Enforcement have seized the domain names of 150 websites accused of selling counterfeit products, including sports jerseys, handbags and shoes.

The targeted websites, based remote the U.S., are engaged in "instantly theft," said Lanny Breuer, assistant attorney generalised for the DOJ's criminal division. "This is hoi polloi being duped into buying a counterfeit."

The 2 agencies have now seized the domain name calling of 350 websites since June 2010 in an effort to crack down connected online piracy and counterfeit sales. Monday's declaration, of 150 seizures natural event in Holocene days, comes on Cyber Monday, indefinite of the biggest online shopping days of the year. The websites seized were on domains controlled past U.S. domain-discover registrars, including .com and .net.

The seized websites sold millions of dollars worth of products, said St. John Morton, ICE's director.

"Moms and dads and kids — Americans from complete walks of animation — need to recognize that this is theft, it's stealing, and it's got to stop," Breuer said. "We'Ra doing everything we can to prevent it."

A year agone, the two agencies seized 82 domain name calling leading up to Cyber Monday.

Would-be Shoppers Warned

The domains displayed messages locution they had been seized away ane of the agencies. "Willful right of first publication misdemeanour is a federal law-breaking that carries penalties for first time offenders of up to five years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine forfeit and restitution," the seizure notice aforesaid.

Among the domains seized were Cheapjerseysite.org, Discount-uggboots-sale.com, NFLjerseysupply.org, Pumaoutlets.net, and MLBjerseys.us, ICE aforesaid. Early sites sold golf game clubs, exercise equipment and sunglasses, officials said.

The two agencies purchased products from the sites to limit whether they sold pretended goods, Jelly Roll Morton aforesaid. The agencies then worked with copyright holders to tab the authenticity of the products, he said.

Website owners will have 60 days to challenge the seizures in U.S. courts. In "nearly altogether" of the past 200 seizures, site owners give birth not challenged the action, Breuer said.

Of the 350 domain names seized since mid-2010, 116 have been forfeited to the U.S. government, the Justice Department aforesaid. If domain distinguish owners file cabinet petitions to dispute the seizures, they have additional time to competition the action, the agency said.

The agencies volition continue to get hold of sites accused of infringement of copyright, Morton said.

The seizures announced Monday issue forth as the Congress considers two controversial bills targeting websites allegedly selling forgery and pirated goods. Backers of the Protect IP Act and the Stop Online Piracy Human action say the agencies need additional tools to target foreign websites engaged in infringement of copyright.

Grant Gross covers technology and telecom policy in the U.S. government for The IDG News program Service. Follow Grant along Chirrup at GrantGross. Grant's e-mail cover is grant_gross@idg.com.

Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/478574/us_agencies_seize_150_sites_accused_of_selling_counterfeit_goods.html

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