On Cyber Monday, the big Internet shopping day, the Justice Department announced it had shut down 150 domain names of websites that were peddling counterfeit goods that included professional sports jerseys, golf equipment, DVD sets, footwear, handbags and sunglasses.
“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,” said Attorney General Eric Holder ina statement.
The crackdown, part of a running investigation dubbed Operation in Our Sites, was executed by the Department of Justice, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the ICE-led National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center), and the FBI Washington Field Office.
Authorities said the 150 seized domains are in the custody of the federal government, and that visitors that go to the sites will find a seizure banner that notifies them that the domain name has been seized by federal authorities. It also provides education that willful copyright infringement is a federal crime.
