[Brad]

Prepared Statement of Attorney General John Ashcroft
Digital Gridlock Announcement
Wednesday, August 25, 2004

Good afternoon.

The protection of America's intellectual property is a priority for the Department of Justice. In March of this year, I announced the creation of an Intellectual Property Task Force to examine how the Department can better protect the innovative and creative capacity of our economy.

One month later, with Operation Fastlink, the Department launched the largest global enforcement action ever taken against the theft of intellectual property over the Internet.

Operation Fastlink focused on the highly organized, international online theft networks known as Warez ("wares") groups. Warez groups are often the original sources for most of the stolen movies, music, games and software that filter down through more commonly used methods of distribution, such as peer-to-peer networks.

Today, I am announcing the first federal enforcement action ever taken against criminal copyright theft on peer-to-peer networks. Today's enforcement action is a natural progression in our comprehensive effort to combat theft of intellectual property over the Internet.

This morning, the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed six search warrants in Texas, New York, and Wisconsin at five residences and one Internet service provider. Today's action is part of an investigation known as Operation Digital Gridlock.

Operation Digital Gridlock is an ongoing criminal investigation conducted by the FBI's Washington Field Office, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, and the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section of the Justice Department's Criminal Division.

Operation Digital Gridlock is an investigation of the illegal distribution and reproduction of copyrighted music, movies, software, and games, over peer-to-peer networks. In today's enforcement action, federal agents seized computers, software, and computer-related equipment.

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I really don't like Ashcroft, or the idea of the goverment searching the records at my isp just because they think someone might be downloading alot of warez thru the same isp as me.

Looks like the 'War on Warez' just begun, this won't end well.