http://ow.ly/7IAdH
An article posted by "paid content" on the Mashable.com website.
This article discusses the seizure of 150 websites by Federal Authorities yesterday (Cyber Monday) due to allegations that the sites were selling pirated goods, and/or "knock-offs".
The article states, "Federal law enforcement agents celebrated Cyber Monday in their own peculiar fashion by seizing 150 websites to go with along with the 72 they bagged last year. And now the agencies are using the captured trophies to play videos blasting movie piracy — even though many of the sites had little to do with the film industry and nothing in the law says they can use them this way."
In addition, the article describes a new and creative use of the seized websites, "There is another odd phenomenon that is coinciding with these seizures that typically take place near events like Cyber Monday or the Superbowl. Namely, some of the seized websites are no longer just displaying a U.S. law enforcement badge but are instead redirecting users to YouTube to watch a public service announcement about the effects of DVD piracy on the film industry." A link to the referenced PSA is provided in the article.
The author states that it is unclear if the Federal agencies have the authority to use the websites they have seized in such a way, and that they are apparently relying on drug seizure laws to use this tactic. However, the authority the Federal agents are relying upon does not seem to be a clear fit to allow the use of seized websites in such a manner.
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