Students in $37m piracy case
2003-04-24 07:35
Sydney - Australian police have arrested three students for taking part in an international music piracy operation that cost the music industry up to $37 million, officials said on Thursday.
Two Australians aged 19 and 20 and a 20-year-old Malaysian student were arrested on Wednesday during raids on four Sydney homes in connection with one of the country's biggest copyright infringement cases.
The three were allegedly involved with an Australian-based internet website known as "MP3 WMA land", which was used to exchange music and other digital files across the world.
Police said the website contained links to recordings of several hundred music albums, album covers and music videos belonging to companies including Universal Music, Sony, Warning and EMI.
Wednesday's raids were the result of several months of investigations involving computer forensic specialists and music industry lawyers, said police official Tony Negus.
The three were charged with violating copyright laws and face a maximum penalty of five years in prison. They were released on bail and are due to appear in court on May 13.