The most recent seizure was announced Cyber Monday with the takedown of 150 website domain names as part of Operation in Our Sites carried out by the DoJ, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Of the 350 domain names seized, 116 have now been forfeited to the US government, DoJ explained.
“Through this operation we are aggressively targeting those who are selling counterfeit goods for their own personal gain while costing our economy much-needed revenue and jobs. Intellectual property crimes harm businesses and consumers, alike, threatening economic opportunity and financial stability”, said US Attorney General Eric Holder
During the operation, federal law enforcement agents posed as consumers and made undercover purchases of professional sports jerseys, golf equipment, DVD sets, footwear, handbags, sunglasses, and other trademarked products from online retailers who were suspected of selling counterfeit products.
In most cases, the goods were shipped directly into the US from suppliers in other countries. If the trademark holders confirm that the purchased products are counterfeit or otherwise illegal, seizure orders for the domain names of the websites that sold the goods and associated websites were obtained from federal judges, DoJ said.
Not everyone is pleased with US government’s efforts in this area, however. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) has criticized the operation in strong terms.
“I worry that domain name seizures could function as a means for end-running the normal legal process in order to target websites that may prevail in full court. The new enforcement approach used by Operation in Our Sites is alarmingly unprecedented in the breadth of its potential reach”, Wyden was quoted by Ars Technica as saying.