Pirates hounded out of P2P network

The US Department of Justice has announced it has launched a federal criminal probe of piracy on a peer-to-peer network.

Federal agents have searched five homes and one ISP in three states, seeking evidence of criminal copyright infringement, according to a Justice Department statement. The investigation - dubbed "Operation Digital Gridlock" - is targeting a specific file-swapping group called the Underground Network.

Attorney General John Ashcroft said in a statement: "The execution of today's warrants disrupted an extensive peer-to-peer network suspected of enabling users to traffic illegally in music, films, software and published works. The Department of Justice is committed to enforcing intellectual-property laws, and we will pursue those who steal copyrighted materials, even when they try to hide behind the false anonymity of peer-to-peer networks."

Although no charges have yet been filed, the action is a milestone in federal law enforcement's treatment of peer-to-peer technology. It could portend deeper scrutiny of casual online copyright infringement, expanding beyond the tightly organised groups typically targeted by investigators in the past.

David Becker writes for News.com