IFPI Congratulates Italian Authorities for Nailing Pirates

The four alleged infringers could look up to some solid fines and also imprisonment

IFPI (The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry ) is very happy with a recent raid of the Italian police. The action resulted in the arrest of four administrators of a popular copyright-infringing music forum, the termination of the site and the confiscation of servers and thousands of illegal files and discs.

Downrevolution.net enjoyed great popularity as a forum site in Italy, making available links that helped reportedly 30,000 registered subscribers share unauthorized material. Services like Rapidshare.com and megaupload.com allowed that material (music, films) to be downloaded about 500,000 times.

Commenting on the event, IFPI internet anti-piracy unit head Jeremy Banks said: “This shows a real commitment by the authorities to stopping online copyright theft and it also highlights that forums like these are anything but immune from the law.”

The suspects have been put on trial for infringing the Italian copyright law and they could be given up to three years in jail, plus €15,000 fines and administrative fees that could build up into huge sums.