Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit
{{short description|City of London Police department}}
The Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) is a unit of the City of London Police, the national lead force for fraud. It was established in 2013{{Cite web|url=https://www.cityoflondon.police.uk/advice-and-support/fraud-and-economic-crime/pipcu/Pages/About-PIPCU.aspx|title=About PIPCU|website=www.cityoflondon.police.uk|language=en-us|access-date=2018-01-18}} with the responsibility to investigate and deter serious and organised intellectual property crime in the United Kingdom.
It is based in City of London Police's headquarters at Guildhall Yard East. The unit consists of 19 police officers and staff, including detectives and police staff investigators.
Part of PIPCU's remit{{Cite web|url=https://www.cityoflondon.police.uk/advice-and-support/fraud-and-economic-crime/pipcu/Pages/How-PIPCU-operates.aspx|title=How PIPCU operates|website=www.cityoflondon.police.uk|language=en-us|access-date=2018-01-18}} is to protect consumers from harm, focusing on intellectual property crime that has public safety implications. Since its inception, it has investigated intellectual property crime worth more than £100 million concerning counterfeit goods or digital piracy, and suspended 28,000 websites{{Cite news|url=https://news.sky.com/story/police-shut-28000-websites-selling-counterfeits-11051451|title=Police shut 28,000 websites selling counterfeits|work=Sky News|access-date=2018-01-18|language=en-GB}} selling counterfeit goods. These websites have also been linked to identity theft.
History
The operationally-independent unit was launched in September 2013{{Cite web|url=https://www.cityoflondon.police.uk/advice-and-support/fraud-and-economic-crime/pipcu/Pages/About-PIPCU.aspx|title=About PIPCU|website=www.cityoflondon.police.uk|language=en-us|access-date=2018-02-01}} with funding from the UK government's Intellectual Property Office. It was announced in August 2017 that PIPCU will receive a further £3.2 million from the IPO to fund the unit to June 2019.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cityoflondon.police.uk/advice-and-support/fraud-and-economic-crime/pipcu/pipcu-news/Pages/pipcu-funding-confirmed-until-2017.aspx|title=PIPCU funding confirmed until 2017 - Commander Head "This is fantastic news for the City of London Police"|website=www.cityoflondon.police.uk|language=en-us|access-date=2018-02-01}}
In 2013, the unit began Operation Creative to disrupt and prevent websites from providing unauthorised access to copyrighted content in partnership with the creative and advertising industries. Rights holders in the creative industries can report copyright infringing websites to PIPCU, providing a detailed package of evidence indicating how the site is involved in illegal copyright infringement. Research has shown that there has been a 64% decrease in advertising{{Cite web|url=https://www.cityoflondon.police.uk/advice-and-support/fraud-and-economic-crime/pipcu/pipcu-news/Pages/Operation-Creative-sees-64-per-cent-drop-in-UK-advertising-.aspx|title=Operation Creative sees 64 per cent drop in UK advertising|website=www.cityoflondon.police.uk|language=en-us|access-date=2018-02-01}} from the UK's top advertising spending companies on copyright infringing websites and an 87% drop in adverts for licensed gambling operators{{Cite web|url=https://www.trademarksandbrandsonline.com/news/gambling-adverts-on-illegal-sites-drop-87-research-5015|title=Gambling adverts on illegal sites drop 87%: research|last=Media|first=Newton|website=www.trademarksandbrandsonline.com|language=en|access-date=2018-02-01}} being displayed on illegal sites that infringe copyright.
In 2013, Operation Ashiko was created to targets the sale of online physical counterfeit goods and aims to seize the domains of infringers.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cityoflondon.police.uk/advice-and-support/fraud-and-economic-crime/pipcu/pipcu-news/Pages/PIPCU-suspends-more-than-2,000-illegal-websites-.aspx|title=PIPCU suspends more than 2,000 illegal websites since New Year|website=www.cityoflondon.police.uk|language=en-us|access-date=2018-02-01}}
In April 2017, PIPCU launched the IP Crime Directory,{{Cite web|url=https://ipcrimedirectory.org/|title=IP Crime Directory - Home|website=ipcrimedirectory.org|access-date=2018-02-01}} a database for customs and police officers to help them identify counterfeit goods with the information uploaded by rights and brand holders.{{Cite web|url=http://news.cityoflondon.police.uk/r/806/richard_branson_endorses_the_city_of_london_polic|title=City Of London Police {{!}} Richard Branson endorses the City of London Police’s Intellectual Property (IP) Crime Directory on World IP Day|website=news.cityoflondon.police.uk|access-date=2018-02-01}}
Operation Creative
Operation Creative, formerly Operation Trade Bridge,{{cite news|title=City Police initative [sic] to battle illegal websites christened Operation Trade Bridge as Affectv comes on board|url=http://www.thedrum.com/news/2013/07/16/city-police-initative-battle-illegal-websites-christened-operation-trade-bridge|accessdate=13 December 2014|date=16 July 2013}} is an ongoing campaign against alleged copyright infringing sites and their advertising network. A number of torrent and streaming sites have been either shut down, had their domains seized or threatened by the PIPCU. Whilst over 100 websites have been 'dealt with', the majority of domain name suspension requests are denied.{{cite web|last1=Ernesto|title=Domain Registrars Deny Police Requests to Suspend Pirate Sites|url=http://torrentfreak.com/domain-registrars-deny-police-requests-suspend-pirate-sites-140808/}}
=Operations=
In December 2015 they arrested a karaoke subtitle creation gang.{{cite news|last1=Andy|title=KickassTorrents "DIY" Karaoke ‘Gang’ Busted By UK Police|url=https://torrentfreak.com/kickasstorrents-diy-karaoke-gang-busted-by-uk-police-151216/|accessdate=16 December 2015|date=16 December 2015}}
By August 2015, 317 domain suspension requests had been issued.{{cite news|last1=Ernesto|title=UK Piracy Police Asked Domain Registrars to Shut Down 317 Sites|url=https://torrentfreak.com/uk-piracy-police-asked-domain-registrars-to-shut-down-317-sites-150821/|accessdate=22 August 2015|date=21 August 2015}}
In March 2021 they claimed the Sci-Hub website could "pose a threat" to university students' personal data.{{cite news|last1=Sean|title=Police warn students to avoid science website|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/education-56462390|accessdate=20 March 2021|date=19 March 2021}}
In April 2022, they seized the website of Club Penguin Rewritten, a fan recreation of the Disney online game, Club Penguin.
=Immunicity arrest=
In response to the new round of web blocking in the UK in conjunction with the copyright infringing site blocking programmes, a service called Immunicity was launched.{{cite news|title=Unblock Torrent Sites, Blocked Proxies, & Cameron’s Porn Filter With Immunicity|url=http://torrentfreak.com/unblock-torrent-sites-blocked-proxies-camerons-porn-filter-with-immunicity-130728/|accessdate=10 September 2014|publisher=TorrentFreak|date=July 28, 2013}} to allow circumvention of both blocking types. However on 6 August 2014 the owner was arrested{{cite news|last1=Ernesto|title=Police Arrest Operator of Torrent Site Proxies|url=http://torrentfreak.com/police-arrest-operator-torrent-site-proxies-140806/|accessdate=10 September 2014|publisher=TorrentFreak|date=August 6, 2014}} by the PIPCU under anti-fraud legislation.{{cite web|title=The Laws PIPCU used to intimidate Immunicity|url=https://survivetheclaireperryinter.net/2014/09/10/the-laws-pipcu-used-to-intimidate-immunicity/|website=survivetheclaireperryinter.net|accessdate=10 September 2014}} Anti-censorship supporters created clones of the site such as Immun.es{{cite news|last1=Ernesto|title=Immunicity Resurrected by Anti-Censorship Supporters|url=http://torrentfreak.com/immunicity-resurrected-by-anti-censorship-supporters-140810/|accessdate=10 September 2014|publisher=TorrentFreak|date=August 11, 2014}} (which closed down shortly after launching) and routingpacketsisnotacrime.uk{{cite news|title=Andy|url=https://torrentfreak.com/the-art-of-unblocking-websites-without-committing-crimes-140923/|accessdate=13 December 2014|date=September 23, 2014}} to resurrect the service.
By August 2015 the immunicity domain was back under the control of anti-censorship activists and displays a website inviting people to use Tor and other anonymity services.
Infringing website list
PIPCU maintains an 'Infringing Website List' (IWL), a portal for digital advertisers to be informed of sites containing infringing content with the intention that they cease advertising on them.[http://www.cityoflondon.police.uk/advice-and-support/fraud-and-economic-crime/pipcu/pipcu-news/Pages/City-of-London-Police-call-for-help-tackle-cyber-crime.aspx City of London Police call on advertising and brand sectors to help tackle cyber crime], PIPCU, 2014-03-31 Sites are identified as infringing by rights holders and the list is not made available to the public.[http://torrentfreak.com/city-of-london-police-launches-pirate-site-blacklist-for-advertisers-140331/ UK Police Launch Pirate Site Blacklist for Advertisers], TorrentFreak, 2014-03-31 As of 12 August a freedom of information request from TorrentFreak revealed:{{cite news|last1=Ernesto|title=UK Police Hijack Ads of 74 Pirate Websites, Refuse to Name Them|url=https://torrentfreak.com/uk-police-hijacks-ads-74-websites-refuses-name-140812/|accessdate=21 September 2014|agency=TorrentFreak}}
74 domains are subject to the advertiser blocking programme, of which of October 2014 only 2 domains{{cite web|title=Number of sites removed from the PIPCU Infringing Website List|url=https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/number_of_sites_removed_from_the|accessdate=13 December 2014}} had ever been removed from the list. 83 advertising companies with a UK presence are currently participating.
Working with the media and advertiser industry body, the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) created a technology portal called 'Project Sunblock'.{{cite web|title=Online Pirates Are Making Advertisers Walk the Plank|url=http://www.projectsunblock.com/blog/2014/3/20/online-pirates-are-making-advertisers-walk-the-plank|accessdate=29 July 2014}} If PIPCU do not receive a response from the website operators, the host or registrar{{cite web|last1=Kobie|first1=Nicole|title=Policing the web: anti-piracy and beyond|url=http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/390670/policing-the-web-anti-piracy-and-beyond|website=www.pcpro.co.uk|accessdate=27 November 2014}} of an allegedly infringing site, the site is added to the IWL via the Sunblock portal, which is then passed along to participating advertising networks for blacklisting. From June 2014 this technology allowed replacing the adverts of websites believed to be offering unauthorized content with warnings from PIPCU.{{cite news|last1=Lee|first1=Dave|title=Police placing anti-piracy warning ads on illegal sites|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-28523738|accessdate=29 July 2014}}
{{multiple image|align = center|image1=Website with its adverts replaced from the PIPCU.jpg|caption1=Piracy warning replacing adverts|image2=|caption2=Parties involved in project sunblock}}
In 2014 the PIPCU removed payment provisions from 4,650 offending sites with a .co.uk address from sites on the infringing websites list.[https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2015-01-28.222456.h Hansard], 2015-01-28
See also
References
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