Ten domains were confiscated from sports "pirates"

The US government has launched another operation to "take down" domain names used for copyright infringement. The operation targeted 10 domains that provided illegal access to video streams of sports events—specifically, HFL, NBA, and NHL matches.

Today, these websites feature three menacing eagles, including the US Department of Justice emblem, and a notice of domain seizure pursuant to a seizure order issued by the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. The US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York issued a press release noting that the seizure was carried out just days before the Super Bowl. The release also cites calculations showing that illegal video streams are costing copyright holders "millions of dollars."

The US government began confiscating "pirate domains" in November 2010. The "pirates" responded quickly, and Peter Sunde proposed creating an alternative domain name system that operates on a peer-to-peer basis.

Following the latest operation, Senator Ron Wyden asked the Justice Department and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement whether they had taken into account that the Spanish website hosted on one of the confiscated domains, Rojadirecta.org, had twice been upheld by Spanish courts.