...And just when my ratio was getting high! It’s a very dark day out there for illegal music downloaders, as it was reported today by BBC News that the British, invite-only, illegal downloading website, OiNK, has been raided by police and shut down.
Early this morning, police searched the home of a 24-year-old IT worker from Middlesbrough, England, as well as several properties in Amsterdam (where OiNK’s server is located). The man, whose identity has yet to be revealed, is “being questioned on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and infringement of copyright law,” according to the BBC News report.
OiNK is responsible for leaking 60 major pre-release albums this year alone, said the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).
The news of the illegal site’s seizure has come as quite a shock to music fans all across the world. With over 180,000 registered users, OiNK was referred to by the IFPI as the “world’s largest pre-release pirate website” (read IFPI's press release here).
There is no doubt that its absence will have a profound effect on the illegal downloading community. Already, message boards all across the internet are abuzz with music fans bemoaning the loss of their favorite downloading resource, crying, “This is OiNK’s 9/11,” and, “Now I have to use Soulseek again?!”
But, the loss of their bookmarked illegal downloads may not be the only thing that OiNK users should be bitching about. Take a look at the message now posted by the IFPI where OiNK’s site once was:
“A criminal investigation continues into the identities and activities of the site's users.”
Eek! In this terrible time of tragedy and loss for the illegal downloading community, I can only wish the best for my fellow music fans out there. Keep your chins up, kids; don’t let the man get you down.
- Watch the raid here.
- Watch OiNK's Dutch hosting provider go nuts over supposedly losing €30,000 worth of equipment in the raid here.
- Read DJ Rupture's opinion on the matter here.
