Playlistcentral.co.za Offline

On February 18, 2012, in Enforcement, Internet, by risa

Playlistcentral.co.za, an locally-run unlicensed streaming service, has been taken offline. The site itself was physically hosted in the US by the ISP, Softlayer Tech Inc. The streaming server was, in turn, hosted by Hosting Solutions International Inc. At the height of its operation, the site featured 1286 artists, 2905 albums and 39 658 songs which equated to a total of 76.09 GB (or 1 182 hours) of music.

 

playlistcentral

Tagged with:  

“Bloutant Musiek” Taken Down

On November 3, 2011, in Enforcement, Internet, by risa

The music sharing site, www.bloutant.hip.lt, run by a local group has successfully been taken down . The site originally listed numerous download links. The domain, bloutant.hip.lt, operated as a subdomain on the hip.lt network (the listed owner/registrar being a company called “Interneto vizija” – http://www.iv.lt/ – with its domain name servers hosted by the ISP, Penki Koninentai Ltd. in the city of Vilniaus, Lithuania).

The hip.lt server was, however, physically located in France and hosted by the ISP, OVH Systems (OVH SAS). The site’s file hosting server, s#.mywibes.com (with # being any number or character) was also hosted by OVH Systems, France.

RiSA worked closely with the SCPP (Société civile des Producteurs de Phonogrammes en France/Civil Society of Producers of Phonograms in France), with OVH Systems removing all infringing content.

Tagged with:  

Omoya.co.za Takedown

On October 8, 2011, in Enforcement, Internet, by risa

The locally run website, http://www.omoya.co.za/, offering “Free South African Music”, has been cataloged and subsequently taken down. The domain itself was registered via a South African registrar (gridhost.co.za), with the website hosted by Theplanet.Com Internet Services Inc. in Dallas, TX.

Content hosted included:

  • DJ Cleo – Facebook
  • Black Coffee Feat Hugh Masekela – We Are One
  • Reason – 15 Grand Remix
  • Theo Kgosinkwe ft. Zonke – Thinking About You
  • JF feat Die Heuwels Fantasties and Jack Parow
  • Liquid Deep – BBM
  • HHP feat Teargas, Liquid Deep – Born For This
  • L-Tido feat Banky W – Aint My Fault
  • JR – 18 July [Nelson Mandela Dedication]
  • Maggz – Kukwamla
  • Proverb feat Lungelo – The Beginning

Visitors are now greeted with “Account Suspended”:

Tagged with:  

Six Containers Seized in Durban Harbour

On September 17, 2005, in Enforcement, Physical, by risa
During August to October 2003, six containers containing various counterfeit music CD’s and movie DVD’s were stopped in Durban harbour on they way to Lagos in Nigeria. Once scanned the containers revealed they carried not only counterfeit music CD’s and DVD’s but also luxury items such as fridges, television sets and a Mercedes-Benz. The contents of the containers were falsely declared as empty CD jewel cases.The containers were monitored and followed on their way to Benin where they were eventually stopped. In June 2005 the containers were officially detained by the Benin authorities. Samples of the music were taken and sent to the IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) in London for forensic analysis. Subsequently 5 manufacturing (replicating) plants in Singapore were linked to the sample discs and were raided by authorities in Singapore.The containers are now earmarked for destruction as soon as the cases against the manufacturing plants have been finalised. This has been a successful trans-border operation involving different countries, governments, organisations and enforcement agencies.

 

Goods Seized or Confiscated:
  • 1.5 million counterfeit music CDs
  • 200 000 counterfeit movie DVDs
Estimated Street Value:
  • R60 MILLION (CDs)
  • R16 MILLION (DVDs)

Tagged with: