European and US officials seized 292 sites.
Europol’s headquarters in The Hague, Belgium
Computer Business Review reported on EU police agency Europol’s seizure of 292 web domains that were “associated with the sale of fake goods” in 19 European nations as well as the USA, and while “no arrests were said to have taken place” yet, a source told the BBC that “possible arrests could be made soon”.
The raids on the website domains were “prompted” by OEMs and trademark holders, and the sites concerned were selling counterfeit “sportswear, electronics and pharmaceuticals” as well as “pirated movies and music”, and form part of Project IOS, which began in November 2012 and aims to “undermine the sale of fake goods”, with 1,829 domains seized in five raids so far.
Rob Wainwright, Director of Europol, stated: “The infringement of intellectual property rights is a growing problem in our economies and for millions of producers and consumers. Europol is committed to working with its international partners to crack down on the criminal networks responsible for this illegal activity.”
Bruce Foucart, Acting Director of the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Centre, added: “Working with our international partners on operations like this shows the true global impact of IP crime. Counterfeiters take advantage of the holiday season and sell cheap fakes to unsuspecting consumers everywhere. Consumers need to protect themselves, their families, and their personal financial information from the criminal networks operating these bogus sites.”