David Earley | December 04, 2008
TWO Brisbane men have been arrested over an illegal movie download site that distributed millions of films to punters all around the world.
The two men were nabbed yesterday during a raid by Australian Federal Police on their Parkinson home, on Brisbane's south side, and they have been charged with copyright and proceeds of crime offences.Last year a man was convicted for distributing one movie over the internet.
But the Brisbane pair, aged 21 and 27, are alleged to have transferred the equivalent to 14.3 million copies of digital movies and television programs to about 400,000 members around the world, as well as paying subscribers, via an offshore BitTorrent tracker website.
As well as the hundreds of thousands of casual members, the two men are thought to have collected up to $10,000 per month from "VIP Members", who paid a $10 per month fee for direct access to downloadable content.
A bank account belonging to one of the men, containing more than $50,000, was frozen overnight, while investigations into other bank accounts continue.
During the raid three computers and other hardware were seized, as well as more than 1200 DVDs.
The men have been charged with distributing copyrighted material and dealing in proceeds of crime worth $10,000 or more.
They will appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on December 18 and face a maximum 10 years jail and/or a fine of $66,000.
Courier Mail